


Silent Sparks

by MangoKat



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2021-04-03
Packaged: 2021-04-22 11:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22171231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoKat/pseuds/MangoKat
Summary: Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.Eventual CrackleBomb
Relationships: Crackle/Mime Bomb
Comments: 25
Kudos: 125





	1. Welcome to V.I.L.E Academy

**Author's Note:**

> Authornote:
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 5 parts. 
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Welcome to V.I.L.E Academy**

**Chapter 1**

**((CrackleBomb))**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Graham didn’t want to admit it, but he was feeling extremely nervous. This was his first time venturing outside of Australia away from his family, and he knew the room was filled with prospective criminals just like himself. He sat in the auditorium and glanced around at the people around him, not really sure what to think. They all looked so normal, and not at all like he expected. He knew he’d have to prove himself here, and he had to start building his reputation as soon as possible.

He purposely took up as much room as he could, rested his elbows on the back of the seat, ignoring the fact he made the boy sitting next to him have to move over a bit. Graham glanced at the boy, and saw he had overgrown red hair which hid most of his face as he kept his gaze firmly on the floor. Graham quickly lost interest and turned his attention up front.

“Welcome to V.I.L.E academy training for thieves.” a woman from on stage called out across the auditorium.

Graham frowned at her, not sure how a woman of her...body shape could be a good thief. He was fascinated by her green hair, however, and turned his full attention to her.

“V. I. L. E.” she spelled out loudly. “Valuable Imports, Lavish Exports.”

She gave them a wink, and Graham personally thought that was a dumb acronym.

“We traffic stolen good to the four corners of the globe. You’ve each been picked for our one year program due to the extraordinary potential you demonstrated.”

The woman then narrowed her eyes. “**I** am Coach Brunt, and **these** are my house rules.”

She glanced around at her audience to make sure they were listening, and then continued. “Rule number one: No contact with the outside world. That means, no portable electronic devices allowed!”

She held up a smartphone and then smiled cruelly and she crushed it in her fist as if it was just made of paper. The entire audience let out a collective gasp, more surprised at her strength than at the destruction of the phone.

Coach Brunt dropped the shattered pieces of the phone to the floor and then continued. “Rule number two: First names only until you get assigned your code name...isn’t that right lambkins?” 

Coach Brunt was smiling fondly at the tiny girl sitting directly behind him, and he saw this opportunity to flex a bit on his teammates.

“Lambkins?!” he said in his most mocking tone. “Who knew V.I.L.E had a **mascot**?”

He laughed cruelly at the girl’s expense knowing he had to show everyone he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He definitely wasn’t expecting the girl to suddenly reach over from behind and grab the front of his shirt tightly. Before he could even react, she yanked him backwards so hard he ended up bent right over the back of the seat, his spine bent at a painful angle. Staring up at her with wide and startled eyes, he watched as the girl leaned right into his face, her expression dangerous.

“Only my **friends** call me Lambkins.” she snarled. “My codename’s Black Sheep, do you understand?! **Nod** if you understand.”

Graham felt his bravado disappearing in an instant, and to his embarrassment he found himself hurriedly nodding.

“Uh huh.” Graham answered, wincing at the pain his back was in.

“**Good**.” she responded finally releasing him.

Graham quickly pulled himself back over the seat, and felt his face redden at how swiftly he’d been knocked down a peg. When he looked up towards the stage, he saw Coach Brunt smiling proudly at Black Sheep, and felt even more embarrassed. That girl was probably Coach Brunt’s daughter or something, and he’d tried to intimidate her! Leave it to him to make such a grave misjudgment…

Sinking down lowly in his seat, he glanced at the boy beside him who glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t comment. Graham was glad for that at least. For the rest of the lecture, he stayed hunkered down in his seat, desperately hoping no one would notice him. They were then assigned their dorms, and to his horror Black Sheep was his roommate in dorm #3. Why were the girls and boys in mixed dorms?! Weren’t they worried about what could happen?

Graham watched as the quiet kid beside him and Black Sheep both headed for the door as soon as they were released, and Graham lingered back, delaying the inevitable. Graham had done a lot of reading during the summer about criminal social orders, and he hoped he’d be able to recover from this mistake or he was going to end up as the academy punching bag. 

Would it be weak of him to apologize? Graham shook his head. No, if he apologized, that would leave him in her debt if she ‘forgave him’. He’d have to somehow make it up to her and then he’d be able to start over.

“Ugh.” a blond girl complained. “How is this fair if we have to attend classes with a teacher’s kid? She’s going to be favoured.”

Graham turned to look at her. The girl was extremely pretty, her hair and makeup perfect, and the mole next to her lip only added to her beauty. It seemed like Black Sheep already had a rival and that gave Graham an idea. Putting on what he considered his most charming smile, and turned around to face her.

“You don’t sound like you’re a fan of our resident Black Sheep.” he commented.

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, so?” she challenged.

“Would you be interested in doing me a favour?”

She let out a disdainful snort. “And **why** would I do that for you?” she demanded, glancing down at her perfect nails.

“Because you’ll get to pick on Black Sheep?”

She raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued.

“All I need you to do is start bullying her, and then stop when I step in.”

The girl crossed her arms. “And what’s in it for me,” she demanded. “If I allow you to be ‘hero’?”

“I have a chocolate bar in my suitcase?” he offered.

She raised a delicately shaped brow. “Do I **look** like I eat candy?” she demanded.

Graham looked her up and down. “Well, you could always keep it to trade with someone else?” he suggested, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes again. “**Fine**.” she relented. “But only because I think this might actually be fun.”

Without another word, she headed for the door, and Graham felt eyes on him. Glancing over, he saw a tall and thin man with dark skin staring at him hard. A short and muscled man stood by his side with a silver faux-hawk and he cocked his head at Graham curiously.

“Rather sneaky way to pick up a girl.” he commented.

Graham flushed. “I’m not trying to pick her up! She’s just a kid!”

“Whatever you say, amigo, but it’s still pretty sneaky.”

“Well, I’m in the right place for **that**, aren’t I?” Graham shot back.

“That is true, I suppose.” the man acknowledged, with a shrug, turning to leave.

Knowing these were his roommates for the next year, Graham followed after them, hoping they knew where their dorm was. They were supposed to study the blueprints of the building before arriving at the academy, but Graham had gotten distracted making YouTube videos all summer and didn’t do any of his assigned homework. Graham destested **all** homework, and hoped he hadn’t actually missed out on anything important.

The blond girl was waiting outside the dorm impatiently, and she allowed the other two to go in first before she followed them in. Graham waited a few seconds and then entered as well. He saw the quiet kid sitting on the bed in the farthest corner, and he looked up as they entered but didn’t say anything. Black Sheep however, practically bounced over to them.

“Hi, I’m Black Sheep!” she greeted eagerly.

“Hola, I am Antonio.” said the man with the silver faux-hawk.

“Jean Paul, Bonjour.” said the tall and thin man.

“Sheena.” the blond girl greeted, somehow making that one word sound both rude and exasperated at the same time.

When Black Sheep’s gaze fell on Graham, her entire demeanor changed and she narrowed her eyes to slits. “**You**.” she hissed out, clearly ready for a fight.

Graham’s smile dropped away into a look of sheepishness, and he rubbed at the back of his head silently.

“Uh...Black Sheep was it?” Graham asked, sticking his hand out to shake. “The name’s Graham.”

She stared down at his hand and made no move to take it. It was just starting to become awkward when Sheena came to Graham’s rescue.

“Is this where you hide your **pearls**, little girl?”

Black Sheep whipped her head around and saw Sheena was leaning over her set of matryoshka dolls. Graham was instantly forgotten as Black sheep clenched her fists and approached the other girl.

“**Please** don’t touch my stuff.” she requested, her words tinged with a threat.

Sheena was clearly having fun and she motioned towards the dolls with a smirk. “What, **these**?” she asked, her fingernails almost touching the delicate paint.

“I **said** , keep your paws **off**!” Black Sheep snarled, her whole body growing tense.

Sheena’s smirk grew more pronounced and she began reaching for one of the dolls. Graham didn’t actually want something sentimental to get broken, and so he quickly stepped up beside Black Sheep.

“Uh-uh, play nice, princess!” he said in a chipper tone and a bright smile. “We all have to room together.”

Sheena backed down immediately and shrugged. “Hmph, probably just costume jewelry.” she muttered as she passed them by.

Graham smiled at her as she passed, and he saw her shoot him an amused smirk. Graham then looked down at Black Sheep and gave her a wink. The smile she gave him in return let him know he’d been forgiven.

“So, we have Sheena, Jean Paul, Antonio, and Black Sheep.” Graham said, committing the names to memory. He then turned to look at the boy sitting at the back of the room, who had been watching everything quietly. “And you are?”

The boy stared at him and said nothing. Graham cocked his head.

“Oy!” he called out, thinking perhaps the boy hadn’t heard him. “What’s your name, mate?”

The boy clenched his hands and looked away, still saying nothing.

“Uhhhhh okay…” Graham responded.

“He wouldn’t talk to me either.” Black Sheep informed him. “I think he’s shy.”

Graham turned a pitying glance at the boy knowing he was going to be eaten alive in an environment like this. The weak would be immediately sought out and destroyed.

“Do you know the way to our first class, Black Sheep?” Graham asked, turning his gaze away from the other boy.

Black Sheep furrowed her brow at him. “Didn’t you study the blueprints?”

“Er, yeah...I was just testing you…?” he replied with a wince.

Black Sheep gave him a solemn nod. “Nice. Of course, I should have known. I know the way, and I can show you. Follow me.”

As he followed her out of the room, Sheena poked him in the ribs.

“Where’s my candy bar?” she demanded.

“Later!” Graham hissed at her.

They all walked together to their first class which was called Stealth 101. Graham was a bit disappointed that the class was an entire two hours of folding paper. He got bored after the first forty minutes and then spent the remainder of the class seeing if he could find a way to make origami boobs. He was so bad at it, however, that it seemed like Instructor Shadowsan didn’t even notice. 

Graham glanced around at everyone else and he was relieved that he wasn’t the only one having trouble. The poor quiet kid’s was definitely the worst and it was so bad, that it was just a crumpled piece of paper by the time he was done. Only Black Sheep managed to complete the assigned origami. Graham had no interest in folding a sheep, and so he went back to perfecting his paper boobs. By the time class was over, Graham’s fingers were stiff and he was feeling like he was going to fall asleep.

Black Sheep was just as chipper as before and Graham followed behind her as he yawned and did his best to wake up.

“So, what class is next?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

“Defense, silly!” Black Sheep replied, giving him a playful swat on the arm. “It’s on our schedule!”

“Right.” Graham agreed. Defense? Now **that** sounded more interesting!

Graham wasn’t disappointed and as soon as they entered the gymnasium, they were all handed a bo staff and told to pair up. Black Sheep grabbed him by the arm before he could even begin to look around, and so he smiled and gave her a nod. He would indulge her, and he had a feeling their dorm would be likely to get favoured over the others.

He zoned out for a moment as Coach Brunt blathered about something or another, and looked up just in time to see Sheena swing her bo staff at the quiet kid when he wasn’t looking. She struck him hard in the stomach, and he hit the floor hard as Sheena laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, knowing things like this would happen. The kid might as well draw a target on his back. To his surprise Black Sheep rushed over and helped the boy back to his feet.

“Sheena!” she scolded, and then turned her attention to the boy, who was staring intently at the floor. “Are you alright?” 

He gave her a shrug, and gripped his bo staff tightly, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Black Sheep frowned at him and then left when it was clear he didn’t want to talk to her.

Graham shook his head. That kid was doomed.

“Alright, everyone, begin!” Coach Brunt ordered.

To Graham’s complete surprise, Black Sheep flattened him within seconds. As he stared up at her with a bloody nose, he realized there was no way she hadn’t received special training. Glancing to Coach Brunt, he saw her give Black Sheep a thumb’s up, and Graham felt certain he was right. Black Sheep had to be **her** daughter.

“You, okay, Graham?” Black Sheep asked, holding a hand down to help him up.

Graham flashed her a cheeky smile. “Never been better! Just thought I’d take a little nap down here.”

She laughed and reached down to help him back up. He wiped the blood from his nose, and then picked up his bo staff to try again. Graham had been in his fair share of fights growing up, and a little bit of pain had never bothered him.

By the time class ended, he was covered in bruises, and starving.

“Food, food, food!” he chanted as they headed for the cafeteria. 

“Ugh, you’re embarrassing, Graham.” Sheena commented.

Graham rolled his eyes and then grinned at her, not caring what she thought of him. He sped up his pace and as he passed her by, he leaned in next to her ear.

“Foooood.” he whispered in a seductive tone.

Sheena let out a laugh before she could stop herself, and then she scowled at him. Graham simply offered her another smile and she sighed and shook her head.

“Boys.” she muttered to herself.

The cafeteria was a noisy disaster, the students all hungry and excited over their first morning of classes. They got in line for their food and a few minutes later they found an empty table and took a seat. Each table had six seats and were obviously made for dorms to be able to sit together. Not at all to Graham’s surprise, the moment the quiet kid tried to take a seat next to Sheena, she shoved him away almost hard enough to knock him off his feet.

“Find your **own** table, you weirdo.” she snarled.

Graham glanced at the others, and they said nothing, simply laughing and chatting with one another as they ate their lunch. The quiet kid stood there for a moment simply staring, and then he slowly walked away, and sat by himself in the far corner of the cafeteria. Graham shook his head, not sure why he felt a tiny twinge of guilt, but he pushed it aside as he reached for the sandwich on his plate.

When their lunch break was over, they headed for their next class which was Thief Etiquette 101. Graham wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this class, and as they took their seat a tall and beautiful woman introduced herself as the Countess Cleo. She walked to the center of the classroom where two identical vases stood on pedestals and then motioned at them

“Pop quiz: One of these two vases is discount-store grade garbage, and the other is genuine Ming valued at $300,000. Which would **you** steal?”

The whole class looked back and forth between the two vases and Countess Cleo smiled.

“I need a volunteer!”

“I know which one it is!” Sheena declared, jumping up from her seat. 

She looked like she was about to make her way up to the front, but Countess Cleo held up a hand to stop her.

“Not you, I will decide who volunteers.”

“How is that volunteering?” Sheena demanded.

When Countess Cleo narrowed her eyes at her, Sheena quickly lost her attitude and sank back down into her seat. Graham squeezed his eyes closed and crossed his finger, praying desperately for her not to choose him.

“You!” she said loudly.

Graham cracked an eye open and let out a breath of relief when he saw she wasn’t pointing at him. She was pointing directly at the quiet kid who looked like a deer in headlights. Graham shook his head again. That kid just couldn’t seem to catch a break that day. He knew that this ‘pop quiz’ was just a ploy to humiliate the ‘volunteer’ and show the class just how little they actually knew. Graham **hated** teachers who used this tactic, and the quiet kid was about to be brutally humiliated.

“What is your name?” Countess Cleo demanded.

The boy simply stared at her.

“Your name.” she repeated like she was speaking to a moron. “What is it?”

He still said nothing and she let out a sigh. “Oh, I don’t care, just get up here.”

The quiet kid slowly made his way up front, hunching in on himself like he wanted to disappear. Countess Cleo ushered him over to the two vases and stood him in front of them.

“Now, let’s make things interesting. If you succeed, you will get a special prize.”

The class chattered excitedly.

“However, if you fail, you will have to write a 20 page report on the artwork of the Ming dynasty.”

The class let out a sound of sympathy and the boy grimaced.

“You have 3 minutes to make your decision.” Countess Cleo informed him, glancing down at her watch. “You may begin.”

The boy very, **very** carefully picked up the first vase and looked it all over, and then he did the same with the second vase. He was clearly very confused, and he bit his lower lip nervously as the time ticked on.

“One minute left.” 

The boy held the two vases and was obviously seeing if they weighed differently, but he frowned and set them back on the pedestals. He turned them around and around, staring at the artwork, and he was getting more nervous by the second. Graham almost felt bad for him.

“30 seconds remaining.”

The boy once again turned the vases, and his hands were beginning to shake, clearly knowing he was going to fail.

“15 seconds left.” Countess Cleo announced, her expression absolutely predatory.

The boy looked back and forth between the vases, his panic at an all time high, his eyes looking completely frantic.

“10 seconds.”

To everyone’s complete shock, the boy suddenly seized a vase and licked it. He then did the same thing to the second one. Countess Cleo stared at him, her lip curled in disgust and he suddenly shoved a vase into her hands. He then clasped his hands in front of him and looked up at her expectantly. Countess Cleo held the vase at arm’s length, her expression still a cross between horror and disgust.

“You are correct...” she responded reluctantly.

Graham became aware of the other students mocking the ‘weird and gross quiet kid’, but he couldn’t help but feel interested. Had the vases tasted differently? How did he know? Was it just a lucky guess?

“Oh, right, I suppose that means I owe you a prize.” Countess Cleo said with a sigh.

She approached her desk and pulled out a fancy quill and began writing something down.

“Here.” she said holding the paper out towards the boy. “This allows you to choose one object out of the contraband box to keep for the duration of your year here.”

The class erupted in excited chatter, not realizing such a thing was allowed.

“Approach Instructor Shadowsan after all classes end for the day and he’ll allow you to choose something.”

The quiet kid stared at the paper she’d handed him and gave her a nod. As he made his way back to his seat, someone tried to trip him, and he barely managed to catch himself in time.

“You’re such a freak.” someone hissed at him.

The boy clenched the paper tightly in his hand and stared down at the floor, as he simply took his seat without a word. Graham stared at him for a moment, and then turned his attention back front as Countess Cleo began speaking.

Professor Maelstrom’s class was creepy but interesting, and Graham actually found himself paying attention to what was being said. The professor looked like someone his parents would have warned him to stay away from as a child, but Graham realized the man was smart. Incredibly smart.

The last class of the day was Dr. Bellum’s Technology 101 and Graham instantly knew this was his favourite class. The second the doctor turned on her newest invention: the Crackle Rod, Graham stared transfixed, feeling a desperate longing to wield such a weapon. The way the electricity turned from yellow to blue as it burst out of the weapon gave him a thrill and he found himself smiling widely. He glanced around at the others, and to his complete surprise, the quiet kid was smiling in excitement, the wide smile showing the braces on his teeth.

Graham stared at him, seeing a glimmer of life in the boy’s wide and gentle blue eyes. Graham quickly looked away. This kid was at the very bottom of the barrel when it came to reputation, and that life and happiness would be snuffed out of him shortly. He didn’t stand a chance in hell at succeeding in this school, and Graham doubted he’d even make it the full term before dropping out.

“Nice braces, metal face.” Graham found himself mocking with a laugh. “Aren’t you a bit **old** for braces?”

The smile was instantly gone, and Graham felt another twinge of guilt, but when the others all laughed at his joke, he felt emboldened.

“Those braces probably conduct electricity, so you probably don’t want to stand so close to the weapon.” he commented.

The boy hunched his shoulders and stared at the floor and said nothing as usual. Graham didn’t even know his name, and he knew in the long run, it probably didn’t matter. Jean Paul stared at the quiet boy like he was some sort of disgusting roach, and then let out a derisive snort.

“Pathetic.” he commented. “ He can’t even look anyone in the eye! How did he even get accepted into this academy?”

“Sexual favours.” Graham, said laughing hard at his own joke.

“Ick, yeah right.” Sheena responded in disgust. “Like any sane person would ever touch a freak like **that** . Just **look** at him!”

Everyone began laughing, and the quiet kid simply stood there silently like he couldn’t hear them, but the second the bell rang, he shot out of the classroom before anyone else. Graham didn’t know why his attention kept wandering to that weird quiet kid, and he felt annoyed. Graham always had a soft spot for animals, and he supposed the boy reminded him of a kicked puppy. Why did someone like **that** have to get assigned to their dorm? Their dorm all seemed to be strong and popular people, except for that one kid. He was holding them back, and it irritated him. Graham was determined to succeed in this school and to do that, he needed to surround himself with the best the academy had to offer.

Letting out a sigh, he followed his dormmates to the cafeteria, and he immediately noted the quiet kid wasn’t there. After having such a terrible day, Graham didn’t blame him for having no appetite. He wouldn’t be surprised to find the boy had quit and was already gone.

Graham pushed the boy out of his mind and instead laughed and joked as they ate their supper, Black Sheep sticking by his side like glue. The girl seemed sweet, and the fact she was a teacher’s kid was just the cherry on top. 

“I bet I can fit this whole potato in my mouth.” Graham stated in a serious tone.

“There’s no way.” Black Sheep denied.

“You’ll just choke.” Jean Paul commented.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Antonio said thoughtfully. “He has a pretty big mouth.”

“You’re gross.” Sheena stated. “And for the record, there’s no way you can do it.”

“I bet you all your desserts I can do it.” Graham said confidently.

Jean Paul raised an eyebrow. “And if you can’t?”

“Then...you get to see me choke on a potato.” he responded.

Sheena looked thoughtful. “Sounds like a good deal to **me**.”

Jean Paul rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine. Deal.” he confirmed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After Boris the janitor had performed the heimlich maneuver on Graham, the dormmates found themselves back in their room laughing about how fun their first day had been. Graham laughed right along with them, long past the trauma of almost choking to death, and he grinned widely.

His gaze went to the far corner of the room, and he could see a shape curled up in bed under the blankets. The quiet kid had obviously given up on that day and gone to bed even though it was only a little after eight. Graham stared at him, for some reason unable to stop thinking of the crushed look that had crossed the boy’s face in Dr. Bellum’s classroom. Graham had ruined his excitement, and he had ruined any chance of that boy having a good end to his day. 

Pushing aside the guilt, Graham looked back at his new friends and started telling a joke, just wanting to put the boy out of his mind.

The weird quiet kid was a nobody, and Graham was determined to be someone important. Graham couldn’t afford to show pity.

When Graham went to bed that night, he dreamt of sad and lonely blue eyes that left an ache in the pit of his stomach.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will be out since I'm going to be working on my main fic. I'm going to aim to update once every couple weeks.**

**Please don't forget to leave a comment! :D**


	2. That Weird Quiet Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Due to Mime Bomb not having a canon name, I chose to use his name from my series Broken. He has not yet chosen his code name in this story, and so I needed something to call him.
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 5 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 2**

**That Weird Quiet Kid**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yuri woke up early the next morning and the first thing he did was glance over at his dormmates. Relaxing when he saw they were all still asleep, he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. It was still dark, and when he glanced at his watch he saw it was only 4am. Sitting up, he grimaced at the memory of his terrible first day, and hoped things would be better this day. Moving completely silently, he got up and approached his locker. Fiddling with the combination lock, he unlocked the locker and opened it to get a clean uniform and his bag of toiletries. After he had relocked the locker, he turned and then silently made his way through the room. 

Yuri glanced at each person as he passed them by and he paused at the foot of Graham’s bed, the boy snoring loudly and splayed out in all directions. Shaking his head, he continued on his way, heading for the showers down the hall from the dorms. Taking a cautious peek into the shower room, he was relieved to see it was completely empty.

There were 12 showerheads in a giant room with no privacy whatsoever. Glad he was awake so early, he set his uniform on a nearby bench and then stripped down. Turning on the nearest shower, he stepped under the hot spray, surprised an island had such good water pressure. He took his time and washed his hair, simply enjoying the hot water for as long as possible. When the water finally began to run cold, he turned the shower off and then reached for a towel.

Once he was dressed, he approached the mirror to comb out his hair and he stared at his reflection with a frown. He stared at his pale skin, ginger hair and freckles and hated everything about himself. Raising his hands to his face, he stared at his reflection from between his fingers and wished he could always have his face covered. Maybe when he chose his code name he could design a mask or some way of covering his face? Lowering his hands, he picked up his toothbrush and then grimaced at the sight of his braces. Only three more months of braces and then they’d be gone forever.

He found his thoughts going to Graham making fun of his braces in Dr. Bellum’s class and he frowned. He had hoped things would be different at V.I.L.E but it looked like there were bullies everywhere. The training was only a year, and he felt like he could put up with anything knowing that once he graduated, he would likely never have to deal with any of his former classmates ever again.

It was only a little after five when he left the bathroom, and he made his way back to the dorm, hoping everyone was still asleep. To his relief, no one had woken up yet, and so he snuck past them and put his toiletries away in his locker, careful not to make a sound. He silently made his bed, and then once again left the dorm, having no idea what he was going to do for the next four hours, but not wanting to stay near the others.

He wandered through the halls and eventually found his way to the cafeteria. He had skipped supper last night and was rather hungry, and so he slipped inside, hoping he’d be able to get some breakfast. The cook was obviously just starting her day and she flashed him an annoyed look as he approached.

“Breakfast isn’t until 7:30.” she informed him. “You’ll have to stick to cereal and fruit if you’re hungry. Either that, or you can make it yourself.”

Taking her up on the offer, Yuri entered the kitchen and made sure to stay out of the cook’s way as he began making himself pancakes from scratch. He added chopped banana and cinnamon to the batter, and then as he began cooking them, the cook glanced over his shoulder.

“This stove runs a bit hot, dear.” she said, her tone a lot more friendly than it was before. “Turn the heat down a bit or you’re going to burn those.”

He did as he was told and a few minutes later, he had three large and fluffy pancakes. Without a word, he carried the dishes he’d dirtied over to the sink and washed them, much to the cook’s surprise.

“There’s syrup in the top cupboard over there.” she told him, pointing. “The good stuff is in the back.”

Yuri gave her a nod and then opened the cupboard and quickly found the hidden bottle of syrup.

“You’d better eat those back here because I don’t want any of the other students demanding I make them pancakes.”

Once again nodding, he took a seat in the corner of the kitchen out of her way, and began eating his pancakes while he watched her work. When he was done, he washed his plate and fork and put them away.

“Have a good day in class, dear.” the cook told as he headed out of the kitchen.

Yuri gave her nod, and then left the cafeteria, still not sure what he was going to do until nine. He found himself wandering in the direction of Shadowsan’s classroom, and to his surprise he found it unlocked. Having nothing else to do, he slipped inside and then glanced around the room. He’d been too nervous the day before to get a good look at the classroom, and now he found himself staring at all of the artifacts that littered the room.

Glancing around in case Shadowsan was around, he cautiously approached the display cases to get a closer look. The artifacts all looked incredibly old and incredibly expensive and he studied them thoughtfully, wondering if they were real. Would Instructor Shadowsan really leave something like this out in the open where just anyone could steal them? His gaze fell on a samurai sword at the front of the classroom, and he found himself approaching to get a better look. There was obviously meant to be two swords, and he stared at the empty slot wondering where the other one was.

The sword was magnificent and he studied it’s intricate designs, really wanting to take a closer look at it. Knowing he would be extremely careful, he began reaching a hand towards the sword, just wanting to see the back of it. Just as his fingers touched the smooth scabbard, the back of his hand was suddenly struck sharply with a long bamboo stick. Jerking his hand back in pain, he sucked in a breath of surprise, and then looked up into the furious face of Shadowsan. Shadowsan was holding an armful of bamboo shoots and he stared down at the boy with narrowed eyes.

“Touching this sword will **not** end well for you.” he stated, setting the bamboo down on the floor. “It is off limits to students.”

Yuri rubbed at his sore hand and stared up at him with wide eyes, hoping the man wasn’t about to beat him. Shadowsan must have seen the fear in his eyes because he simply let out a deep sigh, and then began tending to his bonsai tree without saying another word. Yuri stared at him for a moment and then slowly edged over so he could watch what he was doing.

Shadowsan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, remembering that this was the worst student from the day before. His attempt at the origami had been terrible, but he hadn’t given up. He had spent the full two hours of class trying to get it right, but he had failed miserably.

“If you’re bored, why don’t you practice the origami lesson from yesterday?” Shadowsan suggested. “Take some paper and practice until class begins.”

Yuri had been curious about what Shadowsan was doing, but he didn’t hesitate to do as he was told. He grabbed a handful of paper from Shadowsan’s desk and then approached the spot he’d sat in yesterday. He then sat there working on making an origami sheep, but no matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t get the folds right. 

Shadowsan knelt in front of the classroom on a mat, and sipped on a cup of tea while he pretended he wasn’t watching the student struggle. He’d expected the boy to make an excuse and leave, but instead Yuri sat there trying again and again. Shadowsan knew someone as terrible as this probably didn’t stand a chance in training, but he found himself curious. The boy had impressed Countess Cleo and that was rare. He had allowed the boy to choose his prize from the contraband box, but he was less than impressed with what the boy chose. He knew Yuri had been chosen because of his excellent pickpocketing skills, and this should have made him an excellent student in his class, but yet he was struggling. Shadowsan finished his tea and then watched as the boy messed up his twentieth sheep.

Curious, Shadowsan silently approached and then knelt down beside him. He watched the boy’s hands carefully and then immediately saw the problem.

“You lack confidence.” he stated, startling Yuri who hadn’t noticed him. “Your hands are shaking when you make the folds.”

Yuri stopped folding and stared down at the floor, feeling like a complete failure.

Shadowsan reached out and placed a new piece of paper into his hands. “I want you to try something for me.” he ordered.

Yuri bit his lower lip nervously, but gave him a nod. 

“Close your eyes.”

Yuri did as he was told.

“Take a deep breath and then think of how it feels when you are stealing someone’s wallet. Think of how you plan it, how you distract your victim, how you take it. I want you to think of everything step by step.”

Yuri did so, and he thought of how he would go about stealing from a stranger on the street. 

Shadowsan watched him for a moment and then continued. “Now, feel the piece of paper in your hands.”

Yuri carefully did so, now able to see the paper within his mind.

“You know all the proper folds, and see them take place in your mind. Allow your hands to take control and fold by feeling it, not by seeing it.”

Yuri hesitated a long time as he tried to visualize each of the folds.

“Imagine that you’re about to steal a wallet and then begin folding. Every fold is an obstacle between you and the wallet that your fingers have to navigate. This is just like any other theft you’ve done. Now begin.”

Yuri began folding, allowing his fingers to instinctively move and when he had completed the last fold, he hesitantly opened his eyes. On his desk sat a perfect sheep.

“You lacked confidence not ability.” Shadowsan stated thoughtfully. “Practice until you feel confident enough to do this with your eyes open. Work hard in my class and you **might** just be able to pass it.”

Without another word, Shadowsan returned to the front of the class and poured himself another cup of tea. Yuri continued sitting where he was practicing until the sound of students entering the room made him look up. He quickly looked away again when he accidentally made eye contact with Antonio. Antonio sat in the same spot from yesterday directly in front of him, and the man glanced over his shoulder at him, taking in the sight of the origami sheep.

“You weren’t at breakfast, mi amigo.” he stated. “Are you okay?”

Yuri didn’t answer, instead staring down at the sheep in front of him. Suddenly a shadow fell over him and he hesitantly glanced up. Graham was standing over him with a smirk, and the boy reached down and plucked a sheep off the floor.

“Well, would you look at this!” Graham exclaimed. “It looks like Black Sheep has a secret admirer!”

“Ewww.” Sheena commented. “That’s so nasty!”

Black Sheep looked awkward like she didn’t know what to say, and Graham laughed and gave her a nudge.

“Soooo, are you into freckly gingers?” he teased. “Wanna date the weirdo?”

Black Sheep glanced at Yuri who was staring down at the floor and then shook her head. “No way!” she responded, not wanting them to tease her. 

Graham crumpled up the sheep and dropped it onto Yuri’s lap. “Sorry, kid, rejection can be hard I know.”

Yuri said nothing, just feeling a little disappointed over the ruined origami. He wasn’t quite sure why Graham had chosen to single him out like this, but knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He glanced at Graham out of the corner of his eye, wondering why they couldn’t have been friends. What about himself made the rest of his dormmates instantly hate him? He raised a hand to his freckled face and then looked away. Everyone in his dorm was good looking, and then there was him… Was that the problem?

Yuri clenched his hands into his pant legs, once again wishing he could just cover his face. He knew he’d be more confident if no one could see him, and maybe then he’d be able to make a few friends. If he had a mask on and never had to be seen again, he could become anyone he wanted. 

He gave another glance over at Graham who was sitting beside Black Sheep and laughing, and Yuri wished he could have friends like that. Yuri looked the other boy up and down and could easily see why Graham was so popular. The boy was handsome with perfect auburn hair, well-toned body and expressive brown eyes. Everyone else seemed to like Graham, and he was always smiling and always ready to tell a joke. It was only Yuri that was the problem.

Suddenly he was struck sharply on top of the head, and Yuri clapped his hands to his head in pain as he looked up in surprise. Shadowsan was standing over him, and had obviously noticed he wasn’t paying attention. The man narrowed his eyes at him and then held out one of the bamboo shoots out towards him. 

The class were all laughing at the way Yuri had been reprimanded and he felt his face redden in embarrassment as he reached out to take the bamboo.

“Hit him a few more times and maybe he’ll actually say something.” Graham teased.

Shadowsan’s response was to give Graham a similar whack, causing him to let out a startled yelp of pain.

“Ow, what was **that** for?” he demanded, rubbing at his head. “I didn’t do anything!”

“No speaking in my class unless otherwise directed.” Shadowsan responded, handing Graham a bamboo shoot.

Once every student had been given a piece of bamboo, Shadowsan made his way to the front of the class and took a seat cross-legged.

“A good thief must have perfect control of their hands.” he began. “If your hands are anything but perfectly steady, you will make mistakes. You must learn to have a sense of balance, and learn to control every movement of your fingers and hands.”

Shadowsan placed a long piece of bamboo on the tip of his index finger and then perfectly balanced it.

“Today, you will practice keeping the bamboo as steady as you can without dropping it. You may begin.”

Everyone began trying without a word, and Yuri dropped his immediately, the stick hitting Jean Paul lightly in the back. Jean Paul shot him a glare over his shoulder and Yuri gave him an apologetic look which caused the other man to just roll his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, the bamboo fell the second he tried to balance it which only caused him to become more and more stressed, which in turn caused his hands to shake even worse. 

The bamboo shoot fell over and over, each time hitting Jean Paul in the back. After over an hour of this, Jean Paul finally lost his temper, turned around and swung his piece of bamboo at Yuri’s face. It struck him solidly across the cheek and he fell backwards into the lap of the girl sitting behind him. He clutched at his face in agony but didn’t utter a single sound.

She stared down at him in concern. “Um, are you okay?” she asked.

Shadowsan was upon them in an instant, and he stared down at Yuri as the boy slowly sat back up. He moved Yuri’s hand out of the way so he could see the damage, and saw the bamboo had just barely missed his eye and was going to leave a nasty bruise on his cheek.

“You’re fine.” he told him. “Keep practicing.”

Shadowsan then turned to Jean Paul, taking note of the Frenchman's angry and unrepentant expression. “You will stay after class.” he informed him.

Shadowsan then went back to the front of the room without another word.

“Way to go, loser!” Sheena hissed at him.

“Yeah, thanks a lot.” Jean Paul muttered, shooting him a glare.

“Way to get your classmate in trouble on the second day of class.” Graham commented.

“Er, but that wasn’t really his fau-” Black Sheep quickly cut off when the others turned to stare at her. “Nevermind.”

Antonio frowned, but he never said a word, instead turning his attention back to his piece of bamboo.

Yuri sat trying to make himself as small as possible and didn’t move at all for the rest of class. He didn’t want to chance dropping the bamboo again, and so he just left it sitting in his lap. When class was finally over, he felt Shadowsan’s disapproving glare on his back.

“Everyone may keep their bamboo to practice with.” Shadowsan told them. “Some of you need a **lot** more practice than others. You have a fifteen minute break before your next class.”

As Yuri headed for the door, he could hear the others muttering about him to each other and he felt embarrassed. Why was he so clumsy? Of **course** Jean Paul got fed up with him. **Anyone** would have gotten mad after having something continuously dropped on them for an hour. Hurrying away from everyone else, he made his way to their next class, and Coach Brunt looked up in surprise as he entered.

“Did Shadowsan let you out early, Sweetpea? Class doesn’t start for fifteen minutes.”

Yuri said nothing, not wanting to mention the fact they were let out early because Shadowsan wanted to have words with Jean Paul. He simply took a seat on one of the training mats to wait. As Brunt continued setting up, she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Finally, when she was all done, she approached him and then tipped his chin up, forcing him to look at her.

“How did this happen?” she asked, pointing to the bruise on his cheek. “Did that happen during training yesterday?”

Yuri didn’t answer.

“Hmm, you nearly lost an eye.” she observed. “I forgot to mention about the protective gear yesterday. I’ll bring it out to be used today.”

The other students began to trickle in, and they all took their positions kneeling on the training mat. Luckily he was nowhere near his dormmates, and as Coach Brunt explained their training for the day, she pointed to a nearby box.

“These are V.I.L.E’s special protective headgear.” she stated. “They protect the face from all blows and protect against most lasers and blades. You are each assigned one and it is your choice whether to wear it or not. I recommend getting used to fighting without it, because you are not allowed any protective gear for your exam in December.”

The students all lined up and were handed a helmet made of a reflective green glass. Yuri stared down at this helmet, and felt drawn to it, having a feeling this is what he’d been wanting. Lifting it up, he put it on and then glanced over at the mirrored walls, seeing that he was now faceless. He looked like everyone else around him, and for once he didn’t feel like an outsider. He felt a deep sense of relief come over him, and he instantly began relaxing. 

All the students took their helmets off after trying it out for a few minutes, but he left his on. He continued staring at his reflection, staring at his lack of face, and knew he would not be removing the helmet.

He was no longer Yuri, he was now Nobody.

“Alright, everyone, grab a bo staff and find a partner.”

As Nobody grabbed a bo staff, he watched as Jean Paul instantly headed straight for him.

“You’re my partner.” Jean Paul informed him, eyes furious.

Graham tapped a hand on top of Nobody’s helmet as he passed by. “You really going to keep this on?” he asked in amusement. “I suppose that’s one way to hide the freckles.”

Nobody did not answer, and wasn’t bothered. He was no longer a person, and he had no emotions. He was faceless, and he was confident in his abilities. He would fight, and he would win. It didn’t matter what anyone said to him.

“You may begin!” Coach Brunt yelled out, blowing her whistle.

Jean Paul wasted no time at all and swung out at Nobody as hard as he could. To the other boy’s surprise, Nobody jumped backwards and avoided the attack. Jean Paul then scowled and attacked full force. Nobody had years of practice from gymnastics, dance, and acting and he effortlessly avoided all of the attacks as easily as he breathed. His movements were calm and confident, and he could see the other boy getting angrier and angrier.

“Fight back, you coward!” he snarled.

Nobody cocked his head, and then swung out the staff, sweeping Jean Paul’s legs out from under him. Before he had a chance to get up, Nobody swung the bo staff down and slammed it into Jean Paul’s stomach. Jean Paul curled in on himself and clutched at his stomach. As Nobody raised the staff to bring it down again, a strong hand caught his wrist. Looking up, he saw Coach Brunt standing over him, her expression a bit impressed.

“That’s enough, Sweetpea.” she told him. “You won.”

Nobody struggled to pull the staff out of her hand, and she gave him a confused look. 

“That’s enough.” she repeated,

Nobody yanked on the bo staff even harder, not caring what she had to say. He would continue to fight, and he would win.

Coach Brunt’s grip was like steel and the bo staff couldn’t be removed out of her hand. She was rather puzzled by the strange way he was acting, and knew something wasn’t right.

Reaching out, she pulled his helmet off so she could see his face. The second the helmet was removed, it was like the whole world came crashing in on him and Yuri looked around at the class who were all staring at him in shock, and then he glanced down at Jean Paul who was still clutching at his stomach.

Kneeling down beside the other boy, he extended a hand to help him to his feet. Jean Paul was incredibly embarrassed and he responded by slapping the hand away from him.

“Don’t touch me, weirdo.” he snapped.

Yuri retracted his hand, and he could feel the whole class’ eyes on him, their gazes practically burning his skin. 

“Oh my god.” Sheena commented. “What a freak.”

“Look at him, he’s shaking.” Graham observed with a laugh. “He looks like he’s about to piss himself.”

This only made Yuri’s sudden anxiety worse, and several of the other students began laughing along with Graham.

Snatching his helmet from Brunt, Yuri fled from the room, the sound of laughter following after him. He ran through the empty halls and when he made it back to the dorm, he took a few deep breaths and stared at the helmet with a frown. 

Approaching his locker, he unlocked it and then set the helmet and the bamboo shoot on the top shelf, still staring at the helmet uncertainly. Being Nobody was too dangerous, and this wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to feel nothing, and he didn’t want to hurt people, he just wanted to feel more confident. Being faceless wasn’t the way to go for him, and he would need to think of something else instead. 

He stared at the green glass of the helmet for a long moment, and then closed the locker door. He wouldn’t wear that helmet again. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. After he had securely locked it in the locker, he turned and took a seat on his bed, having no idea what he was going to do. He had just skipped out on defense on his second day here...this wasn’t looking good for him.

After defense was lunch and he had no desire to see any of the other students in an unsupervised area. Rubbing at his eyes, he stood up and decided to see if he could get lunch before classes were let out. The hallways were empty, and when he entered the cafeteria the cook glanced over at him in confusion.

“Classes are still in session, aren’t they, dear?” she asked.

Yuri hung his head as he slowly approached her.

“Did you get sent out of class?” she asked in surprise, noting his guilty expression.

When he said nothing, she gave him a look of disapproval. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble if that happens too often.” she warned him.

He gave her a nod which seemed to satisfy her, and she then glanced at the food she was preparing. 

“The hot lunch isn’t ready yet, but feel free to grab one of the sandwiches. They’re over there in the walk-in cooler.”

He gave her a nod and approached the cooler and opened it. He saw dozens of sandwiches and grabbed one, hoping to be able to eat and escape before the other students arrived. He grabbed a carton of milk, and then sat in the far corner of the cafeteria as he tried his best to calm down. He didn’t really have much of an appetite, but he forced himself to eat anyway, not certain he’d be able to get supper, depending on how he was feeling later. Making sure he didn’t leave a mess, he tossed the garbage into the bin, and then hurried out of the cafeteria, heading instead for the front doors.

Knowing he had over two hours to kill before Countess Cleo’s class, he wandered towards the nearby trees just wanting to walk for a bit. The sun was blistering hot, and he was glad when he made it to the shade of the trees. He had no idea where V.I.L.E island was located, but by the trees and flowers around him, he knew it was somewhere tropical. The smell of the island was unlike anything he’d experienced before and he immediately decided he liked it outside.

The wooded area wasn’t very big and after just a few minutes, he came to the edge of it where the trees met the beach. Taking a seat on a nearby rock, he stared out at the ocean, but saw no other islands within sight. Hearing a slight noise from beside him, he glanced around, and his eyes fell on a bird’s nest at eye level in a bush. Edging over curiously, he saw three tiny white eggs inside. The eggs were barely the size of a quarter, and he wondered what kind of bird they belonged to. 

He heard another rustle from within the bush, but couldn’t see whatever was making the noise. Assuming it was the parents, he backed away from the nest and once again took a seat on the rock. There was the sound again, and he very slowly turned his head, hoping to see what it was. To his horror, there was a snake in the nest eating the eggs. The snake had two bulges in its stomach already, and Yuri had a sneaking suspicion it was the adult birds. The snake began to eat the second egg, and he wasn’t sure why he did it, but he found himself rushing over to stop it.

The second egg was swallowed just as he reached for the nest and so he closed his hand over the third egg, wincing as he felt the snake sink it’s fangs into him. The bite burned terribly and he suddenly realized that there was a real possibility the snake was venomous. Glancing down at the tiny egg in his hand, he could feel warmth coming from it, and knew it was still alive. Placing the egg into the front pocket of his shirt, he looked over at the snake as it hissed at him, and he stared at it with a frown. Wiping the blood from his swelling hand, he began making his way back to the academy, knowing he’d have to find the medical wing.

He wandered the main halls for a few minutes, and could hear the sounds of Coach Brunt’s defense class still going on. Passing by the door, he glanced in the room very briefly, saw everyone was learning some sort of wrestling move, and then hurried past before anyone saw him. His hand was throbbing at this point and he was relieved when he finally came across a door that said Dr. Vesalius. Raising his left hand, he gave a hard knock, and then winced as he heard grumbling coming from inside.

The door opened, and a tall and thin Middle Eastern man stared down at him, obviously displeased about being disturbed. 

“It’s only the second day of classes, how could you **possibly** have gotten injured already?” he demanded with a sigh.

He looked Yuri up and down, and his eyes immediately fell on the hand that the boy was clutching to his chest.

“Come in.” the doctor said, rolling his eyes.

Yuri entered the room and saw it was set up like a standard doctor’s office, with an examination table, files and a computer on a nearby desk.

“I am Doctor Vesalius, but most students just refer to me as Dr. Vess.” the man greeted. “You’ll be seeing me later this week for your physical.”

Yuri gave him a nod.

“Alright, now what’s the problem?” Dr. Vess ordered.

Yuri held out his hand, and the doctor’s eyes stared at the two puncture wounds, knowing exactly what had caused this.

“How did you get bitten by a snake?” he demanded with a sigh. “Do you remember what kind of snake bit you? There are five species on this island.”

Yuri simply stared at him and so the doctor let out another sigh and then reached for a book on a nearby shelf. Flipping it to a specific page, he pointed towards five pictures of snakes. 

“Which one bit you?”

Yuri stared at the five snakes and pointed to the bright green one.

“You’re sure?”

Yuri nodded, absolutely certain that was the right one.

“Well, then, lucky you, you got bitten by a venomous snake and will be dead within four hours.”

Yuri stared at him with wide and horrified eyes, but the Dr. Vess continued.

“But, luckily for you, I have the antivenin in stock, and so it looks like you get to live another day.”

Dr. Vess left the room for a few minutes, and when he returned, he was holding a syringe, a bag of saline, and an IV needle. 

“Why are you wearing long sleeves on a tropical island?” Dr. Vess muttered, rolling Yuri’s sleeve up to his elbow.

Yuri said nothing and simply watched as the doctor disinfected his arm with alcohol. He winced as the IV needle was inserted and then it was taped in place, and he watched as the doctor set up the bag of saline on an IV pole. Once the saline was slowly dripping into the IV, Dr. Vess injected the antivenom into the bag, and then turned to Yuri.

“You’re going to be missing afternoon classes.” he informed him. “You’ll be able to return to class tomorrow morning.”

Yuri gave him another nod, and the doctor glanced down at his phone as it buzzed and then let out a curse. 

“I have an important phone call to take. I’ll be back to check on that IV in an hour. Don’t touch anything and don’t move. If you start to have difficulty breathing, hit the red button on the wall beside you and it will alert me.”

The doctor didn’t even wait for a response and Yuri watched him enter a nearby office. Once he was alone, he reached into his front pocket and pulled out the egg. Rubbing a finger across its smooth shell, he had no idea what he was going to do with it. The egg was so tiny that it reminded him of those little chocolate eggs at Easter. It was helpless and in a hostile world, kind of like him at V.I.L.E. If he put the egg back, the snake would probably eat it. His thoughts went to his bullies and he realized the snake kind of reminded him of Graham. Like **hell** he was going to let the snake win.

He stared down at the little egg, and then carefully put it back in his pocket.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will be out since I'm going to be working on my main fic Broken. I'm going to aim to update once every couple weeks.**

**Please don't forget to leave a comment! :D**


	3. Freak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> WARNING:  
WARNING:  
READ THIS WARNING!
> 
> There is physical abuse in this chapter and so give this a skip if this bothers you.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is a bit dark, but things are going to start getting better soon I promise!
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 5 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 3**

**Freak**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Graham knew the quiet kid was up to something. He had missed the rest of classes for the day and when they came back to the dorm, the boy’s arm was in a sling and his hand was bandaged. Being naturally nosy, he had approached him and immediately asked about the injury. The kid had simply stared at him, his blue eyes uncertain, and then went back to his book without a word. Graham was not used to being ignored, and immediately felt annoyed.

“Hey!” he said loudly, causing the boy to look up at him again. “I’m talking to you! Why don’t you ever answer anyone? Are you a mute or something?”

He received a shrug, and the boy once again turned his attention back to the book. Graham got even more annoyed and snatched the book out of his hands. The boy gave a violent flinch away from him, and Graham frowned at him, not expecting him to be afraid of him. Feeling a little bad, Graham glanced at the title of the book and saw it was a book about raising chickens. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“Researching your family tree?” Graham teased. “Where did you even get this book? Was it in the library?”

The boy averted his gaze and began ringing his hands nervously, clearly getting anxious over the interaction.

“What’s your name?” Graham asked.

The boy hung his head and still said nothing, his eyes flitting up to Graham briefly.

“Come on, mate, you gotta talk to me eventually.”

He still got no reply.

“Maybe he’s like special needs or something?” Sheena suggested from where she was relaxing on her bed. “Part of some inclusivity program?”

“In a school for criminals?” Jean Paul said incredulously. “Non, I think not.”

“Come on, mute, what’s your name?” Graham urged. “We have to call you **something**.”

“I think Freak is a good name for him.” Sheena suggested.

“Oh come on, that is a bit mean.” Antonio protested. “Maybe he’s just shy?”

Jean Paul stared at the quiet kid with a look of complete disdain. “Someone like **him** has no place at a school for criminals. He is pathetic.”

Black Sheep looked a bit uncomfortable at the bullying, but like always, she didn’t challenge what the others said. Graham frowned at Jean Paul, and then turned back to the quiet kid.

“See? You don’t want **them** to name you, so how about if you just tell me your name?”

The boy looked up at him, eyes full of uncertainty and he bit his lower lip as he seemed to be considering it.

“Oh my god!” Sheena commented with a laugh. “Those braces really are** so** bad! Look at them!”

Just like that, the boy lost all nerve and hung his head again, and Graham grew irritated.

“Look, mate, I’m trying here, but you’re not exactly making it easy. Stop being so bloody weird and maybe people would stop teasing you.”

The boy reached out for his book, and Graham held it out of his reach.

“Name.” he ordered, waving the book towards him.

The boy slowly stood up and without a word, he walked past Graham towards the door. Graham stared at him in frustration, and then scowled and threw the book at him. It hit the boy in the back of the head, who stumbled in surprise, and he turned to stare at Graham in disbelief, but still said nothing.

“Maybe the others are right about you.” Graham commented. “**Freak**.”

The boy flinched at the word, and then knelt to pick up the book, keeping a wary gaze on Graham the entire time. He then turned and headed for the door, ignoring the laughs of the others. Graham simply shook his head, and then smiled over at his friends.

“Well, no one can say I didn’t try. That kid is weird.”

“I don’t know why you bothered.” Sheena said with a roll of her eyes. “What a freak.”

“I wonder what happened to his arm?” Graham said thoughtfully. “Where did he go all day?”

“Yeah, we probably don’t **want** to know what that freak gets up to.” Sheena replied.

Graham scratched his chin thoughtfully, now genuinely curious what the other boy was doing. “I’m gonna go be nosy and spy on him.” he announced.

Jean Paul raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he questioned. “Why?”

“Because I’m nosy and I know he’s up to something.” Graham replied with a shrug. “You can’t tell me you’re not curious.”

By the expressions on his roommates faces, it was clear they were not.

“You wanna come?” Graham asked.

Sheena let out a very unladylike snort. 

“Okay, fine, suit yourselves.” Graham responded. “I’ll be back later, gonna go spying on the freak.”

Graham hurried from the room and then glanced up and down the hallway, spotting the quiet kid just disappearing around a corner. Running after him, he stopped when he came to the corner and then peeked around, not wanting to be seen. Freak was slowly walking along, his nose back in his book, not paying too much attention to anything around him. Graham had no idea what was so interesting about a farming book, but chalked it up to the kid just being weird. He snuck along behind him silently, impressed at his own stealth skills when it was obvious the other boy had no idea he was there.

“Secret spy Graham follows his unsuspecting target.” he whispered to himself, rolling behind an open door out of sight. “The incredibly handsome Agent Dawsen is the world’s only hope in stopping the excessive weirdness that emanates from the Monstrous Mute!”

Graham ignored the way the other students were staring at him as he dodged and rolled from spot to spot, and continued following behind the Freak.

“The world-renowned agent will save the academy with his quick wit, and enormous muscles, and the ladies will fall all over him in thanks.”

Graham rolled into an open doorway, nearly knocking over a trashcan, and then peered out into the hallway at the other boy.

“He uses his secret spy skills to tail his target completely unseen. He is as swift as the wind and as silent as a shadow and he is invisible to the naked eye. The Monstrous Mute has no idea the danger he’s in and the agent begins closing in!”

“Hi Graham.” a girl from Dorm 1 greeted.

Graham scowled up at the other student. “Shh!” he scolded, quickly rolling to a new spot. “Don’t blow my cover!”

The weird quiet kid glanced behind himself with a puzzled expression on his face, and Graham didn’t move from his hiding spot behind a trashcan. When the boy continued on his way, Graham let out a breath of relief and continued following him.

“After his close call, agent Dawsen is more careful and follows at a safer distance. His target is still none the wiser.”

Graham continued tailing the other boy until eventually he stopped walking in a quiet corridor that looked seldom used. The kid stared at a door thoughtfully for a moment and then glanced around to see if anyone was around. Graham was hiding behind a potted plant and he wasn’t spotted. To his surprise, he saw Freak pull a set of picks out of his pocket and he proceeded to pick the lock in the door.

“Why you sneaky little weirdo…” Graham quietly muttered. “What are you up to?”

The boy slipped inside the room and Graham crept over and saw it was a supply room that was off-limits to students. What did the freak want in a supply room? Very slowly opening the door a crack, he peered in and saw the room was actually quite large with a lot of shelves of various things. Making sure the coast was clear, Graham snuck into the room and then hid behind a shelf so he could watch the other boy. 

Graham watched him as he wondered the room clearly looking for something. To his surprise, Freak emptied the sneakers out of a shoebox and then kept the box as he continued through the room. Next, he watched as Freak placed a towel into the box, followed by a small medical grade heating pad and an empty spray bottle. Graham furrowed his brow in confusion. What in **hell** was this kid up to?!

Freak then headed for the door, and Graham ducked out of view. As soon as he was gone, Graham headed for the door and then cautiously opened it. When he was sure no one was around, he once again took to following the boy down the hall, and this time Freak led him to Dr. Bellum’s classroom.

Once again Freak picked the lock on the door, and Graham watched him as he entered the classroom, hoping he wasn’t grabbing anything dangerous. Graham was no tattletale, but if that kid came out of there with sulfuric acid or a gun, he was **definitely** telling a teacher. He snuck over and peeked into the classroom, just in time to see Freak remove a thermometer from one of the cabinets. The boy added that to his box of items and then turned to leave.

Graham quickly hid behind a post, and felt his curiosity grow by the minute. Freak continued walking and Graham followed after him, surprised when he was led outside. 

This was the first time Graham had been outside and had to admit the view of the tropical island was amazing. The beach looked fantastic and he immediately wanted to go swimming. Were they **allowed** to go swimming here? Scratching his chin thoughtfully, he wondered if the others would be up for a beach day after he was done being nosy.

He watched as Freak headed for the jungle, and he lingered back, not really having any good cover. Once the other boy disappeared into the trees, he darted across the school grounds so he could continue following him. Stumbling and tripping his way through the dense foliage, he tried to be as quiet as he could, and after a minute or so, he found the other boy. The boy was kneeling down next to a bush and was carefully removing something out of the leaves. He then placed it in the box and stood up to leave. 

Graham went to hide behind a nearby tree, but his foot got caught in a root and he fell to the ground hard, letting out a screech of pain as his ankle was twisted. As he struggled to untangle his foot, a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Freak standing over him with a questioning look on his face. A bit embarrassed at having been caught, he flushed red and gave Freak a scowl.

“What are you doing out here, **Freak**?” he snapped.

Freak stared down at him, raised a brow and then turned to walk away.

“Wait, wait!” Graham called after him.

The boy paused, and glanced back at him.

“Um...I’m stuck.” Graham admitted pathetically, pointing to his foot. “Help me out?”

Freak stared down at the foot, which was very tightly jammed, and to Graham’s surprise, he then walked away without a single word.

“Seriously, mate?!” Graham called after him. “You’re just going to leave me here?!”

The boy disappeared out of sight and Graham let out a curse and gave another tug to his foot.

“I swear, Freak, I’ll get you back for this!” he yelled after him.

His foot was wedged in too tightly to be budged, and Graham realized it would probably take **hours** for anyone to realize he was missing. Letting out another curse, he knew this was all the Freak’s fault. If the other boy hadn’t been acting so suspicious, Graham would never have had to follow after him. 

The others were right, the boy was just a **freak**, and he had no place at the academy. Although furious, he still couldn’t stop thinking of the boy’s sad blue eyes. Those eyes seemed to penetrate him in an uncomfortable way, making him feel bad for the boy. Graham shook his head in frustration. No. He wasn’t going to feel sorry for that weird quiet kid. If the kid didn’t want to be picked on then he should have just acted normally.

Graham sat there silently stewing for about five minutes and then suddenly Boris, one of the cleaners, appeared out of nowhere. Letting out a startled shriek at the unexpected sight of the pale man, Graham clutched his chest, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

“Um...hi!” he greeted.

Boris rolled his eyes, this now being the second time he’d had to save this same student. Pulling out a knife, he knelt down beside him and began cutting the root away from his foot. The second Graham was free, Boris grabbed him by the shirt and lifted the boy to his feet.

“Er, thanks, mate, I really appreciate it!” Graham said, awkwardly.

Boris said nothing at all, simply re-sheathing the knife, and turning to leave. Graham followed along behind him until they were out of the jungle and then Graham gave him a smile and salute.

“See ya ‘round, mate.”

Graham then ran for the academy having every intention of finding the quiet kid and giving him a piece of his mind. Charging through the hallways, he pushed past the other students, feeling angrier and angrier the closer to the dorms he got. When he reached dorm 3, he burst in and everyone looked up at him in surprise.

“Gray?”Black Sheep questioned. “What’s the matter?”

Graham narrowed his eyes at Freak who was laying on his bed reading like nothing was the matter, and he felt his temper snap. Charging over without a single word, he pulled back his fist and drove it into the other boy’s side hard. The boy dropped the book and immediately curled in on himself as he clutched at his stomach and Graham stood over him, and was tempted to hit him a second time.

“That’s for leaving me to die, jackass!” he snarled.

“Whoa, Gray!” Black Sheep protested. “What are you doing?!”

Graham glared down at the boy. “I got my foot stuck outside, and Freak just **left** me there! I could have died!”

“Ugh, I **knew** he was trash.” Sheena commented.

“Disgraceful.” Jean Paul agreed.

“Are you okay, Graham?” Antonio asked in concern.

“Yeah, but no thanks to him.” Graham snapped, turning away. “I’m done being nice to Freak.”

“I second that.” Sheena immediately said.

“I third.” Jean Paul added, narrowing his eyes at Freak.

Antonio and Black Sheep said nothing, both staring at Freak as he clutched his stomach in pain. He didn’t make a single sound when hit, so they couldn’t tell if he was really hurt or not. Jean Paul offered Antonio a smile and gave him a gentle nudge.

“What about you, mon ami?”

Antonio glanced over at the handsome Jean Paul and felt his cheeks redden a bit. “Erm...fourth.” he said reluctantly.

Jean Paul clapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit, mon ami!”

Black Sheep was now the only one left out and she glanced back and forth between Freak and her new friends.

“You gonna side with your boyfriend, Black Sheep?” Sheena teased. 

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Black Sheep defended, clenching her fists. 

“You with us?” Graham asked, offering her a smirk.

Black Sheep averted her eyes but gave a nod. “Yes...I fifth it.”

“Then we’re all in agreement. Freak has no place in our dorm!” Graham announced.

“We can’t kick him out.” Black Sheep pointed out.

“No, but we can at least quarantine his weirdness away from the rest of us.” Graham responded. “Antonio, help me a second, will you?”

Antonio approached, and Graham pointed towards the freak’s bed. 

“Help me push this, will ya mate?”

The two boy’s pushed the bed into the far corner with Freak still on it, and then shoved his dresser over so it would block most of the bed from view.

“Okay, now we just gotta make a bit of space…” Graham said, approaching one of the other beds.

He and Antonio pushed all the beds away from Freak, and so he was in the entire back section of the room all by himself.

“There!” Graham announced, sounding quite proud of himself. “Now Freak has been quarantined.”

“If you **really** want to quarantine him, you should hang up a blanket or something so we never have to see his ugly, freckled face.”

“Oh!” Graham said in surprise. “That’s a good idea! Guys, come help me hang up some blankets!”

The others immediately came to help, all of them laughing as they tied blankets to a few shoelaces and tethered them to support beams, creating a tent that completely covered the other boy’s bed. Once they were done, they dissolved into hysterical laughter at the sight of the tent.

Graham was feeling much better now and grinned at his friends. “Hey, you guys want to go swimming? It’s gorgeous out, and the beach is fantastic!”

Everyone exchanged a look, and then quickly nodded.

“Yeah, I’d love to work on my tan.” Sheena commented. “It’s a good thing I brought my bathing suit.”

As everyone ran to get ready and grab towels, Graham wandered over to the quarantine zone, and peeked into the tent. Freak was still lying curled up where he’d left him, and to Graham’s surprise, the boy was wiping at his eyes, obviously crying. The boy had his back to him, and so Graham stared at him for a moment, an odd feeling of guilt twisting in his gut. He hadn’t meant to make him cry, but he knew there was no taking it back now. The boy just didn’t belong, and within this academy it was the survival of the fittest.

Turning away, Graham hurried to his own dresser to grab some shorts he could go swimming in. They then left the room, and not another thought was given to the boy they’d left behind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As the days passed, Graham found he genuinely liked his roommates, and they spent all of their free time together. Black Sheep had practically become his little shadow, and Graham wasn’t used to anyone looking up to him, and found it hilarious. She was an incredibly sweet kid that was **so** determined to prove herself and fit in, that she went along with everything they said and did. Like Graham had suspected, she afforded them with protection, and they got away a **lot** of things they shouldn’t have. They got away with thefts, with pranks and even fighting.

As rude as Sheena was to everyone, she was still always within their group, and Graham suspected she was just insecure. Her snarky comments didn’t seem to be particularly malicious and so he just ignored it, and joked around with her. After a week of everyone being nice to her, she softened a bit and became more relaxed around them.

Jean Paul and Antonio quickly became close friends, both men enjoying many of the same interests and hobbies. 

Jean Paul was frosty with everyone, and wasn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with, but he was better at being civil than Sheena was. He was slowly getting to be a bit friendlier with them all, but his hesitancy to make friends seemed to hint at some betrayal in his past. Graham never asked about it, because the second anyone asked him any personal questions, he’d immediately clam up and get defensive.

Antonio was incredibly sweet and gentle, and it was his calm and quiet nature that seemed to make Jean Paul more trusting of him. Antonio was always ready to help out his new friends, but there was also a hardness that lurked deep within his eyes. They had seen that hardness come out the first time their whole dorm got into a fight with dorm 2 and Antonio had fought viciously and mercilessly. Antonio didn’t speak of his past, and Graham was honestly a little afraid to ask.

Then there was Freak. It was two weeks into first term and he **still** hadn’t said a single word to anyone. He hadn’t taken down the quarantine blankets, and the only time they saw him was during class or when he walked to and from his little tent.

Graham found himself beginning to target Freak more and more often, determined to get some sort of reaction out of him. The boy never retaliated and he never tattled and so Graham used him as a way to relieve stress from the grueling classes. The skinny little redhead was entertaining to bully, and Graham had fun playing around with him, seeking him out whenever he was bored. He couldn’t explain what drew him to Freak, but something about the other boy fascinated him.

The whole dorm soon got in on the bullying, and Freak was pushed, shoved, and teased mercilessly, making an easy target for their frustrations. They kept everything pretty mild, however, and never actually hurt him, but the boy always reacted like they were going to strike him. Every time they would reach for him, he would flinch and shrink back in fear, and Graham couldn’t get over how cowardly he was. Scaring him was fun, and he began pretending he was going to hit him just so he could see his reaction.

It didn’t take long for Freak to stop even attempting to enter the cafeteria or anywhere he could accidentally run into them. Graham figured Freak would have to give in when he got hungry enough, but he never did, and Graham began suspecting he was sneaking food somehow.

After a straight two weeks of being bullied, Freak began showing obvious signs of anxiety and he started flinching every time anyone even approached him. He was constantly getting scolded by both Coach Brunt and Shadowsan for his nervousness, and Graham found it hilarious.

It was the last day of September and once again they were practicing balance using their pieces of bamboo. Graham was a bit clumsy, but he was getting better every day the more he practiced. To no one’s surprise, Freak was the worst student in all classes, and it was obvious he was probably going to fail the academy. The boy was a nervous wreck and he couldn’t seem to do anything without messing it up. Graham of course teased him about this which only made it even worse.

“Alright, put away your bamboo.” Instructor Shadowsan ordered. “We are going to be learning a new technique for folding paper.”

The whole class groaned and he narrowed his eyes at them which quickly silenced them.

“There is a stack of paper and a pair of scissors in front of each of you.” Shadowsan stated, picking up a piece of his own paper for the demonstration. “Cutting the paper gives you more flexibility in the shapes you can make, but it is also more difficult to perfect. Every edge should be straight and you should not be able to tell the paper has been cut.”

Shadowsan very slowly began making cuts in the paper, and then he began folding the paper, making sure the whole class had a good view of what he was doing. When he was done a couple minutes later, he held up a perfect origami dragon.

“Wicked!” Graham exclaimed.

“It will take hours upon hours of practice before you can create anything such as this, but for now, I want you to create anything of your choosing. You will have a week to create something and then you will present it to me, and demonstrate your folding techniques.”

“Dragon, dragon, dragon!” Graham said to himself excitedly.

“Gray,” Black Sheep whispered to him with a frown. “There’s no way you can do a dragon, that’s one of the most difficult shapes!”

Graham gave her a mock offended look. “Are you saying you doubt my abilities?!” 

“Well, duh, dumbass.” Sheena whispered. “You’re the one who got confused over cornflakes this morning!”

Graham grinned sheepishly. “I’d never seen them sealed inside individual servings before…” 

Sheena rolled her eyes. “And the milk?”

Graham crossed his arms. “It was in a bag, Sheena! In. A. Bag. Why does V.I.L.E have bagged milk?! What did they **expect** me to do when I saw that?!”

“Probably not stab it with a fork.” Black Sheep said with a giggle.

“In my defense, I was really tired this morning and didn’t expect it to explode like that.”

“That was only like an hour ago.” Sheena pointed out.

Graham nodded. “Yes, and now I’m wide awake...mostly due to the unexpected shower of cold milk.”

“Why am I friends with you again?” Sheena demanded with a sigh.

Graham leaned back and gave her his most charming smile. “Because I’m awesome?”

Sheena snorted in amusement.

Graham’s eyes then widened, and he sat straight up. “I just got an idea!”

Sheena sighed heavily. “Oh no…”

Black Sheep however looked excited. “Another prank?” she demanded.

“Wanna get even with dorm 2 for putting spiders in our beds?”

Sheena now leaned in, her expression earnest. “How do I help? Those creeps need to be taken down once and for all.”

“Okay, so if we can get a hold of a few of those bags of milk, I’ll fill you in on my plan after class.”

There was the sound of throat clearing, and Graham looked up just in time to get a smack on top of the head from Shadowsan’s bamboo stick.

“Owww!” Graham complained, rubbing at his head with a wince. “Geez…”

“Graham, how many times are we going to have this same conversation about you talking during class?” Shadowsan demanded angrily.

Graham dutifully hung his head, looking very contrite. “Sorry, Instructor Shadowsan.” he said, his tone nothing but respectful. “I promise to do better.”

Shadowsan narrowed his eyes at the boy suspiciously, but could find no fault with the apology. Letting out a sound of disapproval, he turned to walk away and Graham shot Black Sheep a smile and winked at her.

She returned the smile, and they both went back to practicing without another word. After classes were over for the day, they filled in Jean Paul and Antonio with the plan to prank dorm 2, and everyone was eager to participate. Dorm 2 had been getting bold lately, and the pranks were getting worse and worse. They all felt confident **this** would finally win the prank war.

“Okay, Black Sheep, do you think you can get us some milk?” Graham asked. “I have no idea where they keep it.” 

Black Sheep nodded excitedly. “Sure, Gray, you can count on me! Give me ten minutes and I’ll be right back.”

Black Sheep ran from the room, and Graham watched her go with a grin. Rubbing his hands together eagerly, he couldn’t wait to see Dorm 2’s reactions. It was going to be glorious. 

Only minutes later, Black Sheep was back, and she was holding a sack filled with bags of milk. 

“I found some soured milk they were going to throw out.” she announced, holding up the sack.

Sheena laughed in delight. “Ohhhh, this is going to be good! I hope it smells really awful!”

“Okay, now we gotta make sure they don’t burst until they enter the room.” Graham instructed. “I know exactly how we’re going to rig this, but we’re going to have to be fast. I gathered all the supplies during lunch, and so let’s get this trap set up.”

His friends all cheered and Graham grinned at them, reveling in the attention. They snuck next door and to their relief, the dorm was empty, the others clearly already at supper. Graham instructed them on what needed to be done and within minutes, they had the trap fully set up.

“The nails will pierce the bags as soon as they enter the room and hopefully every bed will be soaked in sour milk before they have time to stop it.” Graham commented.

Laughing in pure glee, they ran back to their dorm to wait for the shitstorm. 

“How long until they’re back?” Antonio wondered out loud.

“If they went straight after class, they’ll probably be back any minute.” Jean Paul replied, thoughtfully.

“Awesome.” Graham said, grinning wickedly. 

“Guys, can I get my laundry bag back?” Black Sheep asked.

She got four confused looks.

“My laundry bag?” she repeated. “The bag the milk was in?”

Graham glanced around. “Erm…”

“Wait...we didn’t leave it behind, did we?!” she asked in alarm.

Graham gave a shrug. “Don’t worry about it, you can have mine. I’ve never even used it, and have been just leaving my dirty clothes on the floor in a pile.”

“Yeah, we **noticed**, dumbass.” Sheena responded with a wrinkled nose. “It’s sooo nasty.”

“Guys!” Black Sheep protested. “I need that bag back!”

“Why, sentimentally attached to it?” Graham joked.

“No, Gray, it has my name on it!” she hissed. “If dorm 2 finds that bag, they’re going to know it was us who did this to them!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in horror.

“Oh, shit!” Graham exclaimed. “They’re going to be back any minute! Who had it last?”

“I had it.” Antonio admitted, wincing guiltily. “It’s my fault, I left it on the floor…”

“Of course it’s not your fault, mon ami.” Jean Paul quickly assured him. “You didn’t know.”

“I’ll go get it!” Antonio said. “Be right back, mi amigos!”

“Be fast!” Graham instructed.

Antonio nodded and ran from the room as fast as he could, charging down the hall to dorm 2. Jumping over the tripwire, he dove for the empty laundry bag, and then scrambled to hurry out of the room. He leapt over the wire at full speed, and wasn’t expecting Freak to be passing by the door at that exact moment. Antonio plowed into him hard and then both toppled to the ground painfully.

“Oh...ouch.” Antonio commented, rubbing at one of his knees. “Sorry, mi amigo, are you alright?”

Freak rubbed at his sore elbow with a wince, and nodded. As they were both getting back to their feet, there was a sudden yell.

“Did you just come out of our dorm?!”

They looked up to see the six students from dorm 2 approaching, looking furious. One of the students rushed into the dorm to see if anything was damaged and of course he set off the trap. Instantly the putrid smell of sour milk filled the room, and the boy let out a cry of revulsion. 

“Er...I have no idea about that.” Antonio said weakly.

“Ugh, it’s all through our beds!”

“You’re dead.” one of the students snarled, blocking off Antonio’s escape.

Freak stared with wide eyes at the chaos within the room, and as Antonio was seized, he dodged around the hands that reached for him and scrambled away down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder as the group of six students began pounding on Antonio, and a look of pure terror crossed his face as he realized it was his fault Antonio got caught. 

Running for it, Freak fled down the hall and burst into dorm 3, ignoring the puzzled looks his dormmates gave him as he charged past them. He pretty much dove into his tent, and the others stared after him in vague interest.

“Well, **that** was special.” Graham commented.

“God, he’s so **weird.**” Sheena said in disgust.

Someone then popped their head into the dorm. “Your roommate is getting the shit kicked out of him by dorm 2.”

Jean Paul was to his feet in an instant. “Antonio!”

They ran out into the hallway and they saw Antonio desperately trying to defend himself against the six students of dorm 2 and they charged over and threw themselves into the fight. They fought viciously, and just as they were beginning to win, a loud voice suddenly boomed out.

“ENOUGH!”

Everyone froze and looked over to where Coach Brunt stood, glaring at them in disapproval.

“As much as I appreciate you putting your skills to use, this is neither the time nor the place for this. Save it for my class, is this understood?”

No one would **dare** talk back to Brunt, and so there were a few grumpy murmurs of acknowledgement.

“Good.” she responded, her eyes raking over the students.

“You!” she called out, pointing to Antonio. “You’re not looking that good, sugar, go get checked out at the infirmary.”

Antonio wiped a bit of blood from his face, and gave her a nod.

“Lambkins, you show him where it is.” Brunt ordered. “The rest of you are to go to your dorms and stay there until morning, is this clear?”

“I would like to go with Antonio to the infirmary.” Jean Paul told her.

“Tough shit.” Brunt responded, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s okay, mi amigo.” Antonio assured him. “Black Sheep can take me, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“MOVE IT!” Brunt ordered, her tone not to be reckoned with.

Dorm 2 scrambled into the room without hesitation, and the others started up the hallway in the direction of their dorm.

“Antonio, what happened? They caught you?” Jean Paul asked, as they walked along.

“I would have gotten away, but I got tripped by Freak and fell. By the time I got up, dorm 2 returned to their room.”

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

“Freak tripped you?!” Jean Paul demanded, his gaze going murderous.

Antonio winced as he touched a wound on his head and gave a distracted nod, not noticing the anger in his roommates.

They reached the dorm, and Antonio and Black Sheep continued up the hall as the other three watched them go. Graham, Sheena and Jean Paul exchanged a look, and then they nodded in mutual agreement, heading into the dorm without a word. Closing the door and locking it, Jean Paul’s expression darkened and he headed for his bed. Opening his bedside table, he pulled out his bamboo stick and glanced over at the others. They seemed surprised, but then they gave him a nod, and they too grabbed their pieces of bamboo.

They stormed across the room and when they reached the tent, Jean Paul ripped one of the blankets out of his way, exposing the bed within. Freak was laying curled into a tight ball of fear, and it was obvious he’d been expecting retaliation of some sort. Jean Paul was too furious for words and he grabbed the boy by one of his legs and gave him a hard yank, pulling him off the bed.

The second Freak hit the floor, Jean Paul dragged him into the center of the room and without hesitation, he brought down his piece of bamboo, striking him hard across the back. Freak panicked and kicked out at Jean Paul and his foot hit the other boy solidly in the stomach. He scrambled on all fours to get away, but Graham caught him by the ankle and gave it a hard tug, sending the boy crashing hard to the floor.

Letting their anger take control, both Sheena and Graham jumped in and they brought down their bamboo sticks over and over, unable to believe the boy had purposely allowed Antonio to get caught. He had betrayed his own dorm and that was unforgivable!

Freak struggled and fought to get away, but Graham and Jean Paul pinned him down as they struck him as hard as they could. 

“You disgusting **freak** !” Jean Paul hissed. “Did you see what you did to Antonio? What happened to him because of **you**?! He’s in the infirmary and it’s all your fault!”

“He was nice to you!” Graham snarled. “He was always asking us to leave you alone and look what thanks it got him! You betrayed him!”

“Ugly, disgusting freak!” Sheena hissed. “We’re going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

Freak tried to turn over in an attempt to escape the beating, and Graham’s bamboo caught him across the face, and there was suddenly blood on the floor. Sheena drove hers into his face as well, and Freak didn’t make a sound but his whole body reeled at the pain.

Freak curled into the fetal position to protect his face and stomach, and he remained completely silent as they struck him over and over again. They struck every part of him they could, and they kept going even when they got out of breath. Graham knew being hit by the bamboo stung a bit, since he’d been hit several times by Shadowsan, and he wanted to make sure the other boy felt the beating for the rest of the night.

The boy began to shake with sobs, and suddenly Graham heard the tiniest noise come out of him, and it made him freeze. It was a sound of pure pain, and Graham’s anger was gone in an instant.

He caught Jean Paul by the wrist and stopped the next blow.

“Okay, guys, that’s enough.” he said. “I think he’s learned his lesson.”

Jean Paul looked like he was going to argue, but he simply scoffed and turned away. “Touch Antonio again, Freak, and the beating you just received will be like a walk in the park.”

Sheena looked at her two friends, and then down at Freak. She then brought her stick down solidly across the boy’s hip, causing him to arch his back in pure agony.

“Sheena!” Graham yelled. “Enough!”

Sheena rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine.” she muttered, turning away. “I’ll leave the loser to cry about his boo-boos.”

Graham stared down at Freak and he caught sight of blood smeared on the floor, and realized they had hurt him a lot worse than intended. He couldn’t see the boy’s face as he was still curled up, but by the way he was shaking, it was obvious he was crying hard.

“Look, mate, just don’t do anything like this again, alright?” he said, his tone gentle. “Antonio’s a good friend, and he deserved better than what you did to him. Please don’t make us do this to you ever again.”

Graham then left him lying there, and crossed the room to take a seat on his bed. Jean Paul and Sheena immediately began talking about sneaking out to visit Antonio, and Graham only half-listened as he watched Freak out of the corner of his eye. The boy laid there for a long time before he finally uncurled, and then slowly and painfully dragged himself into his tent out of sight. 

Graham stared at the tent and he felt like an absolute monster. Raising a hand to his face, he wondered when he had turned into this stranger he didn’t recognize. Graham had never hurt anyone in his entire life, and he had just helped his friends horribly beat a smaller boy. Graham stared down at his hands and to his horror, he saw there was a fleck of blood on his wrist. He wiped it off with a thumb and then glanced back at the tent. 

Just as he was debating going to check on Freak, the door opened and Antonio and Black Sheep walked in. They were all smiles and were clearly joking around with one another.

“Hola!” Antonio greeted.

“How are you, mon ami?” Jean Paul asked.

“I am fine, mi amigo, just a few bumps and bruises.”

Everyone was relieved and they began laughing and chatting, seemingly forgetting about Freak. Graham didn’t forget however, and he kept finding his gaze returning over and over to the tent. There was complete silence coming from that side of the room, and he tried to convince himself that if he was seriously hurt, Freak would have gone to the infirmary. Freak was just a wimp, he wasn’t hurt.

Graham couldn’t stop the deep feeling of guilt, that tiny noise the other boy had made playing over and over in his mind. That night when he went to bed, he dreamt that he was a hideous monster killing everyone around him. Every person he killed all had the same sad and lonely blue eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will be out since I'm going to be working on my main fic Broken. I'm going to aim to update once every couple weeks.**

**Please don't forget to leave a comment! :D**


	4. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! I apologize that most people really disliked the previous chapter. I promise that things will start to get happier from now on, and there won't be any more really dark chapters.
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 5 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 4**

**Ghost**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yuri woke up in a lot of pain and his limbs were stiff and difficult to move. Carefully rolling over, he opened his eyes and grimaced. Raising a hand to his face, the touch was painful and he felt dried blood covering his nose and mouth. He didn’t want to move, but knew he couldn’t miss any class-time or he’d never be able to catch up. It was still quite dark and when he glanced at his watch, he saw it was cracked, but still working. It was only 4:03am and was still completely dark. He laid there for a few minutes, but knew he was not going to be able to fall back asleep.

Knowing he had to check the egg, he slowly sat up, his whole body aching in protest. Thinking of the beating he’d gotten, he grimaced and then let out a soft sigh of resignation. His roommates hated him, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing he could do was try to stay out of their way so it didn’t happen again. Sliding his feet out of bed, he stepped down onto shaky limbs and then approached his locker. 

After silently unlocking it, he knelt down on the floor and pulled out the shoebox. He was glad to feel the warmth coming from the bottom of the box and when he opened it, he smiled at the little egg and then glanced at the thermometer. It was still an acceptable temperature, and so he checked the dial on the heating pad, and then gave the egg a spritz from the water bottle. After carefully turning the egg, he put the box back in his locker and then gathered his school uniform and toiletries so he could go take a shower.

Walking slowly because of his sore limbs, he made his way to the shower room, hoping the hot water would help with the stiffness. As per usual, he stood under the hot spray of water until it grew cold, and then got dressed. He was in so much pain he had to sit on one of the benches to get dressed, and it took him a lot longer than normal to get ready. Once he was dressed and had tied both sneakers, he approached the mirror to brush out his hair. 

Yuri froze at the sight of his reflection, and he stared with wide eyes. His whole face was a mass of angry bruising and cuts and he raised a hand to his face with a grimace. This was a sight he had grown accustomed to seeing during his childhood, and he had desperately hoped things would be better here. He should have known that pain and misery followed him everywhere he went. There would never be an escape from this.

With a shaking hand, he traced one of the worst bruises on his cheek, remembering that it had been Sheena that did that one.

There had been a time in his life that was full of laughter and love, but as he got older, those memories became harder and harder to remember. His mother died when he was seven, and his grandmother had immediately put him up for adoption. No one wanted a sad little boy with messy red hair and a smattering of ugly freckles, and after waiting for a family for several years, he had finally given up hope. He grew up in foster care, in a home with far too many children, and his foster parents had hated them all. 

Yuri stared at the bruises on his face, remembering all the times he’d stared in the mirror at his foster parent’s house. He had often stared at his bruised and ugly face wondering what about him made people hate him so much. He’d tried so hard to make them love him, and he did everything they wanted, but still all he got was pain and rejection. His birthday present for his 18th birthday was to suddenly find himself homeless as he was turned out of the house.

Hunger and desperation made him turn to crime to survive, and he quickly found he had a talent for it. With his quiet demeanor and quick hands he was able to shoplift without suspicion, and he was at least able to feed himself that way. He slept in the public library and because he was so young, he just looked like an ordinary university student and they never kicked him out. He would just surround himself with books to look like he was studying, and then lay his head on the table and sleep for a few hours.

His birthday was in the winter and so he spent a lot of time in the library just to keep warm. He would venture out for food and then come back to get warm. He would spend hours reading just to stave off the boredom, and he would wash himself the best he could in the library bathrooms. This was how he lived for several months until one day he saw a group of people that looked like they were quite wealthy gathered outside a hotel.

Knowing it would be nice to have a bit of extra cash for days he didn’t feel like stealing, he decided to go for it. He headed towards the group who were chatting, and like everyone else in the world, they paid him no attention. He weaved around the group silently and his hands found wallets and jewelry and he was shocked at how much he came away with. His small backpack was stuffed full when he left, and he headed straight back for the library so he could see what he got. 

He locked himself in a bathroom stall and then began going through his loot, knowing he now had complete privacy. To his utter shock the wallets were all stuffed full of cash from all over the world, and there were thousands upon thousands of dollars in total. He then looked at the jewelry and other knick knacks he’d stolen and realized they looked genuine and were probably worth a fortune. An icy sort of panic came over him as he realized this was grand theft. If he was caught, he could get years in jail over one act of impulsiveness.

He stared down at the money and then swallowed nervously. The money would help get him through the winter, and even get an apartment until he could find work. He stuffed the cash and jewelry back into the backpack and then threw all the empty wallets in the bottom of the garbage can, burying them under as much garbage as he could. He had no idea what to do with the jewelry and wasn’t even certain he could pawn things like that.

Worried about having that much cash on him, he deposited most of it into his bank account, and kept a few hundred on him for spending. He still had no idea what to do with the jewelry and so he kept it hidden in the very bottom of his backpack. He was incredibly wary for a few days, expecting police to swarm him at any time, but when no one seemed to be looking for him, he finally relaxed.

It was only a week later that he suddenly got confronted by Shadowsan in the library. Yuri had immediately recognized him as one of the people he’d stolen from, and he had run for it as fast as he could. Shadowsan had taken chase and it didn’t take long for the experienced man to catch the skinny teen. He had cornered him in the back of the library, and Yuri had stared at him with wide eyes, having a feeling he was probably going to be beaten very badly and then arrested.

He had dropped the backpack to the floor and began to shake, his terror evident. Having no way to escape, he backed himself into a corner, hoping the man wasn’t going to seriously hurt him. Covering his head with his arms as he waited for the first blow, he was confused when nothing happened. Looking up, he saw the man simply observing him with a deep frown on his face.

Shadowsan had stared at him for a few moments in silence and then demanded if Yuri had been the one to pickpocket the group outside the hotel. Yuri had immediately shook his head no, and so Shadowsan grabbed his backpack and dumped the contents on the floor. When the jewelry fell out, Yuri winced, and then waited for the man’s anger.

Shadowsan didn’t get angry however, he simply knelt and looked through the stolen items thoughtfully.

“You were clever enough to know better than to pawn these, but you shouldn’t keep stolen property on your person. You either need to hide it, or find a buyer.”

Yuri had stared at him in confusion, not really understanding why he was being told this.

Shadowsan shoved everything back inside Yuri’s backpack, and to his shock, the man tossed it over to him.

“Keep it.” he told him. “You were impressive, and so you can consider this a gift.”

Shadowsan then offered him a place at V.I.L.E academy. He explained that they had been extremely impressed with his skills and wanted to recruit him. Yuri had listened to the long explanation of V.I.L.E and the academy, and felt he had no other choice but to accept. He had silently nodded, and Shadowsan had explained the school year began in September, and that someone would be in touch with him. Without even asking for a name, or where he was staying, Shadowsan had walked off. 

Yuri had stayed frozen in the corner for a long time after that, but when he recovered, he had grabbed his bag and fled from the library. Knowing he could never return there, he rented himself a cheap motel room, and that’s where he remained for the next seven months. He lived on the stolen funds, but still had no idea what to do with the jewelry. He couldn’t get the strange old Japanese man out of his mind, and he began wondering if there really **was** such a thing as a school for thieves. It seemed absolutely ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He loved stealing, the rush of adrenaline was addictive, and he knew he was good at it. If he went to a school, how good could he become?

Although, he was almost positive it was just the ramblings of a senile old man, he still found himself on a bus at the end of August to head back for the library. He spent the next few days pretty much camping out in the library, and on September 3rd, the cleaners had come to collect him. He had gone with them without hesitation, and he was taken to a plane, blindfolded, and then hours later found himself on V.I.L.E island.

Yuri once again ran his hands over his bruises, knowing he was not only failing his classes but he was failing himself as well. He knew he could do better, but he couldn’t seem to prove it. Everything he did ended with complete and utter failure. He was an embarrassment to the academy, and he hated himself for it. He wanted to be better, but when he thought of himself, all he could see was weakness and fear. His face was one of a victim and a loser. He narrowed his eyes at his reflection, and with one swift movement, he punched the mirror as hard as he could, ignoring the agony as the glass shattered under his hand.

He stared at the distorted reflection in the broken mirror, and then slowly lowered his bloody fist away from it. Raising a hand to his face, he noticed that he could no longer recognize himself in the mirror, and felt a little better. Remembering how he had become Nobody, he knew he needed to find a **better** person to become. Nobody was too dangerous. Someone with no emotions could injure someone and that’s not what he wanted. He wanted to be unnoticeable; he wanted to just fade into the background where no one could hurt him. He wished he could just become invisible so he could still learn but not have to be bullied or scolded for his failures. He wished he could become a ghost.

Washing the blood from his knuckles, he felt a sense of resolve come over him, and he knew he would once again become someone else. Gathering his belongings, he headed back for the dorm, navigating the dark corridors silently. When he reached the dorm, he entered quietly and passed by his sleeping dormmates without so much as a glance.

Yuri put his things in his locker, checked the egg again, then turned his attention to his bed. Pulling off one of the white sheets, he stared at it, and then approached his bedside table. Opening the drawer, he pulled out a pair of scissors, and then cut two lopsided circles out of the fabric. Tossing the sheet over his head, Ghost glanced around the room, and felt like he had turned invisible. He was no longer a person, he was just a quiet observer.

Quietly crossing the room, he paused at the foot of Graham’s bed and stared at the boy with a frown. Graham was sprawled out in an uncomfortable-looking position and snoring loudly. Graham was so nice and friendly to everyone else, but yet when Ghost used to be Yuri, the boy had made him afraid. He had seen the cruelty he was capable of, and Ghost didn’t trust him. Ghost didn’t have to worry about bullying however, because he was no longer a person. He was just a cold mist, a spirit of someone who **used** to be a person.

Ghost left the room as silently as his name suggested. He wandered through the dark corridors knowing he still hours until his first class of the day. Normally he would have gone to make himself breakfast, but ghosts didn’t need to eat, and so he simply walked aimlessly. V.I.L.E academy was absolutely enormous, and Ghost had only explored a small portion of the rooms and corridors. Entering into the East Wing where he’d never been before, he observed the names of the rooms he passed with curiosity. He wasn’t watching where he was going and a few seconds later he bumped into someone hard.

The man clearly wasn’t paying attention either, his nose in a book and when they bumped into each other, the man dropped everything in his hands.

“Watch where you’re going! Do you have any idea how impor-” the man looked up and saw Ghost, and he let out a startled yelp, jumping backwards away from him. “What the hell?!”

Ghost had never seen this man before and looked him up and down in curiosity. The man was older than him, and was dressed immaculately with perfect hair, and perfect skin, and was probably the most handsome person he’d ever seen. Ghost knew that Yuri would have felt self-conscious about his own ugly looks, but this wasn’t something he had to worry about. The man clearly wasn’t a student, and so was he perhaps an operative?

The man quickly got over his fright, and then his cheeks coloured in embarrassment. “What are you doing?!” he demanded angrily. “What are you doing here? Are you a student?”

Ghost simply stared back at him silently and the man looked him up and down with a sneer. The man stared at the eye-holes of the sheet and could just make out a bit of red hair and wide blue eyes, and he let out a huff. He was about to say something else, when he noticed the edge of a bruise near one of the blue eyes. He stared at him with a frown, and then let out a sigh.

“I don’t have time for this.” he muttered, kneeling down to pick up his books and papers. “Students aren’t even supposed to be in this wing!”

The man straightened back up and rolled his eyes when he got no response. “That ghost costume is really terrible,” he commented. “I could have designed a better one.”

Without another word, the man stormed away from him. Ghost cocked his head and then glanced down at the floor. The man had forgotten one of his books, and he knelt down to pick it up. Turning it over in his hand, he saw it was a sketchbook with the name Dash Haber written on the front with fancy handwriting. Ghost knew this must be important, and so he tucked it under his arm to return it the next time he saw the man.

Ghost didn’t meet anyone else during his wanderings, and eventually he found himself at Shadowsan’s classroom. Having nothing else to do, he took a seat in his usual spot and then glanced down at the sketchbook. Deciding to be nosy, he opened it and saw it was filled with clothing designs. The drawings were incredibly good and Ghost looked over each design carefully knowing how much work must have been put into each one. He flipped through page after page, wishing he had the talent to do something like this. As he flipped through, he saw a few designs for operative costumes and realized the man he bumped into must have been a V.I.L.E designer or something.

Ghost sat there for so long that he didn’t even hear Shadowsan when he entered the room. Shadowsan nearly jumped at the sight of the ghost sitting in front of his class, but he quickly scowled, figuring it was a prank. It was October 1st and sometimes the more immature students thought they could get away with disrupting classes with pranks of this nature. Storming towards the student, he reached out and yanked the sheet off in one swift motion.

Yuri flinched back from him the second the sheet was removed, and he stared up at him with wide and frightened eyes. This was not the student Shadowsan was expecting to see, and he blinked down at him in disbelief. This was perhaps the last student he expected to pull a prank like this.

Shadowsan stared at the terrible bruises across the boy’s face, and although he didn’t show it visibly, he was concerned. He could clearly tell the wounds were caused by bamboo, and wondered if the injuries had occurred in Brunt’s class. He’d have to have words with Brunt to find out exactly what had happened.

“Stop this nonsense.” Shadowsan scolded. “If you insist on being here so early, practice the cutting and folding that you learned yesterday.”

Yuri averted his eyes and gave him a silent nod, closing the sketchbook and setting it down under the edge of the mat he was kneeling on. Getting up silently, he approached the front of the classroom to collect the paper and scissors. Shadowsan watched him with narrowed eyes, but when the boy obediently went back to his spot to do as he was told, Shadowsan went to his mat at the front of the classroom to enjoy his tea.

Yuri felt raw and exposed and glanced to the sheet that Shadowsan had tossed into the waste basket. He didn’t want to remain weak and pathetic Yuri, and knew Ghost could handle all of this with no problem. Staring down at the pile of paper and scissors, he got an idea. Picking up a sheet of paper, he began eagerly cutting and only a few seconds later, he stared at what he had created. Knowing it wouldn’t work as-is, he glanced around for something he could use. His gaze fell on his sneakers, and he knew that would work. Hurriedly removing the laces out of his sneakers, he carefully cut them and then fastened them to his creation. Once he was done he lifted it up and tied it to his face.

Ghost picked up a piece of paper and then began cutting and folding it into origami, feeling confident in his abilities. No one could see him fail, and so he could relax and just practice without worry.

Shadowsan finished his cup of tea and then reached for the pot to pour himself a second cup. He glanced up as he took a sip, and then paused, staring at the sight before him in disbelief. The quiet student had fashioned himself the worst looking ghost mask he had ever seen and was now contentedly practicing his origami.

Shadowsan was tempted to get up and snatch the mask off the boy and give him a thorough scolding, but something told him to leave him alone. There was something lurking deep within the boy’s eyes that Shadowsan recognized all too well. He had a feeling those bruises were not caused by training. Was the boy trying to hide his bruises with the mask? Frowning, Shadowsan decided to investigate this after classes were over for the day.

Ghost sat there and quietly practiced for the entire two hours before class, and Shadowsan noted that his origami was improving a lot from all the extra practice. The boy showed up early almost every morning, and he was now almost as good as Black Sheep when it came to his folds. Unfortunately his confidence was still pretty much non-existent and so he never managed to do it when other people were in the room. Although he showed talent, Shadowsan knew he would have to fail him if he couldn’t soon get over his nervousness.

When the rest of the students began filing into the room, Shadowsan paid close attention, and he quickly saw a group of students pointing and laughing at Ghost.

“Oh my god, look at him!” Sheena commented. “What the hell is he doing?”

“It’s October first, so maybe he is getting into the spirit of things?” Antonio suggested.

Graham laughed. “Ha! Getting into the **spirit** of things!” he repeated. “Nice one, Antonio.”

Jean Paul rolled his eyes, and took a seat on his mat without a word. The others did as well, but Graham couldn’t resist poking a little fun.

“You going trick or treating, Freak?” he teased. “That’s the dumbest looking mask I’ve ever seen!”

Ghost looked up at him and cocked his head. Ghosts couldn’t be hurt and so he wasn’t concerned about the boy in front of him. He calmly went back to his origami, clearly intent on ignoring him.

Graham frowned when Ghost didn’t react like he was expecting, and shifted a bit awkwardly. “Hey!” he said. “I’m talking to you!”

Ghost didn’t so much as spare him a glance, and Graham scowled. He **hated** being ignored. Reaching out he gave him a hard poke in the back. When the boy still didn’t look up, Graham felt himself getting annoyed. He didn’t really know **why** he wanted him to pay attention to him, but he was determined to get a reaction. He gave him another poke and then another, but Ghost was acting like he wasn’t even there. Scowling, Graham snatched the origami out of Ghost’s hand and then crushed it.

“Look at me, Freak!” Graham ordered.

Ghost simply reached for a new piece of paper.

Suddenly Graham was struck hard across the shoulder and he let out a shrill yelp, looking up at Shadowsan in surprise. Shadowsan stood over him with a furious expression, brandishing a bamboo stick like a weapon.

“You do **not** touch another student’s work, do you understand me?” Shadowsan said, his tone dangerous.

The blow had **really** hurt and Graham hurriedly nodded, backing away from Ghost.

“Sorry, instructor Shadowsan.” he said, eyeing the stick warily.

“Take your seat and I had better not hear a single word from you this lesson or you’re going to find yourself cleaning this entire academy with a toothbrush.” Shadowsan warned.

“Yes, Instructor Shadowsan.” Graham answered, his face turning a bit red as he heard several students snicker.

Once Graham took his seat across the room, Shadowsan stared down at Ghost for a moment, but didn’t comment. He shot at glare at the five students he’d seen laughing at the boy, suspecting this was a case of bullying. It was V.I.L.E policy to ignore bullying however, and so Shadowsan’s hands were tied. The quiet boy would have to learn to stick up for himself or he wouldn’t last long in V.I.L.E.

Graham couldn’t believe how much that one blow had hurt and he reached up and rubbed at his shoulder with a wince. The pain wasn’t lessening, and he had a feeling he would have a bruise the next time he looked in the mirror. He suspected that blow hadn’t even been Shadowsan’s full strength. Graham then paused, and looked back at Ghost. They had hit the other boy as hard as they could last night, and he remembered the small pained noise the boy had made. How many times did they hit him? Twenty, thirty times?

Graham looked the other boy up and down, but he couldn’t see even a patch of skin because of his long-sleeved shirt. Was he bruised from the beating? Graham felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that if just one blow hurt this much, how must the other boy be feeling? Graham shook his head. No, if the other boy was badly hurt, he would have tattled or gone to the infirmary. He was probably fine. Now he felt bad for submitting a complaint about him to the faculty...

Ghost felt completely at peace as he sat quietly folding his origami. He knew no one could truly see him, and so he didn’t feel nervous as he worked, simply focusing on what he was doing. It was a little lonely knowing he could never interact with other people, but knew this was for the best. He only felt sad as he made fold after fold, and at the end of class, he set down a near-perfect origami person. He stared at the person’s blank face and was reminded of Nobody. He frowned behind his mask, and then picked up the sketchbook, and got up to follow the rest of his class to Brunt’s gym.

Halfway to Brunt’s gym, Ghost realized it was difficult to walk in sneakers with no laces and so he kicked them off without a thought, and continued on his way barefoot.

A few minutes after the student’s were gone, Shadowsan wandered up and down the aisles looking at the students’ work. His gaze lingered on the origami person and he knelt down to pick it up. The person was bent and twisted as if in silent torment, the blank face almost eerie, and Shadowsan felt concerned. The origami was incredibly good, but he was worried about the boy’s mental state. A sudden knock at the door had him looking up and he saw Countess Cleo peering into his room with an imperious look on her face.

“May I speak with you for a moment?” she asked.

“Of course.” Shadowsan replied, waving her in.

Cleo stepped into the room, and approached him, moving with all the dignity and grace of a runway model, and it took all of Shadowsan’s self-control not to roll his eyes. When she was standing in front of him, she crossed her arms.

“The faculty received a complaint this morning from five students.” she informed him.

Shadowsan raised a brow. “Oh?” he questioned. “About me?”

“No, about their roommate. Apparently they haven’t once seen the boy shower since he arrived at the academy, and they’re complaining about the bad smell.”

Shadowsan sighed, trying to think of any particularly smelly students in his class. He hadn’t noticed any, but he also didn’t spend a lot of time standing next to them. “There’s always at least one every year.” he commented. “Which student is it?”

“I don’t remember his name, the quiet little redhead.” Cleo answered. “They have my class after Brunt’s and I do **not** want him in my classroom if he’s going to stink it up.”

Shadowsan frowned, knowing very well the boy didn’t seem to be dirty. His hair never seemed to be oily, and his clothes always seemed to be clean. He had a feeling this was another case of bullying, but he still had to act on the complaint.

“Could you please make sure he’s clean before entering my classroom?” Cleo requested. “I don’t want to have any disgusting smells anywhere near my room.”

It was policy that in such a case where a student was refusing to shower, they were **forced** to take a shower while a member of the faculty were present. This was done to ensure they were actually showering, and also as a form of humiliation to discourage it from happening again. Shadowsan let out a deep sigh of irritation.

“It will be taken care of.” he assured her.

Cleo gave him a satisfied nod. “Very good. There’s a faculty meeting today at five.”

Shadowsan returned the nod as she headed for the door. As soon as she was gone, Shadowsan glanced down at the origami person again. He wasn’t supposed to interfere in bullying, and if he helped, the other faculty would question it. 

Was Black Sheep involved in the bullying? She was so sweet and innocent that he couldn’t picture her ever being a bully, but Cleo had clearly said there were FIVE students that made the complaint. He had seen her laughing along with the others and this didn’t sit well with him. Were these students beginning to corrupt her? Setting the origami down, he headed for the door, knowing he now had to unfairly humiliate the quiet student.

He approached the gym, and when he opened the door, his eyes immediately went to the quiet boy who was running and dodging the attacks of Sheena while barefoot. The boy wasn’t even trying to fight back, and he frowned, seeing how Sheena was getting angrier and angrier. Where had the boy’s shoes gone? Did someone take them?

“Shadowsan!” Coach Brunt called out loudly in greeting.

The students paused in their sparring to look over, and Shadowsan entered the room, expression as stern as always.

“What can I help you with?” Brunt asked.

“I need to borrow one of your students.” he replied, gaze going back to Ghost.

Brunt followed his line of sight. “Alright, spooky, it looks like you’re needed.” Brunt said to Ghost. “Hop to it!”

As Ghost picked up a nearby sketchbook and then passed by Sheena, she lashed out with her bo staff and tripped him. Not expecting it, the boy fell to the ground hard, causing the whole class to start laughing at him.

“That’s **enough**.” Shadowsan said firmly, and instantly there was silence.

Ghost got back to his feet, and made his way over to Shadowsan, trying to ignore the pain his body was in. The fall had made his bruises ache, and he hugged his arms to his chest as he came to stand in front of Shadowsan. Ghost knew he should have been more careful not to trip over other students. They couldn’t see him, and he was just nothing.

“Come with me.” Shadowsan ordered.

Shadowsan turned to leave and when he didn’t hear footsteps behind him, he stopped and turned around. The boy was right on his heels but moving completely without sound. Shadowsan was actually impressed, but he didn’t say anything, simply continuing on his way. When they reached the shower room, Shadowsan turned to him and stared at the mask-wearing student with a frown.

“Your roommates have informed us that you haven’t been showering.” he stated.

Ghost stared up at him in surprise. He showered every single morning, and was an incredibly clean person.

“Due to the complaints, you’ve left us with no choice but to make sure you take a proper shower.” Shadowsan explained. “I will be in the room to make sure you’re using soap and shampoo.”

Ghost tensed up, and he stared at Shadowsan in disbelief, unable to believe this. He shook his head and took a step back, and Shadowsan rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” the older man scolded. “Do as you’re told and let’s get this over with.”

Ghost knew he had no choice, but the unfairness of it all was almost unbearable. Why couldn’t his roommates just leave him alone? Why did they insist on always making sure his every waking moment was hell? Shrinking in on himself, Ghost wished he could disappear. Real ghosts could disappear, but unfortunately, there was nothing supernatural about him. 

Seeing the boy wasn’t moving, Shadowsan let out an aggravated sigh and seized him by the arm. He pulled him into the shower room and then pointed towards the showers. 

“I will turn my back.” Shadowsan told him, turning to face the wall. “I suggest you cooperate.”

Ghost didn’t move, not wanting to remove his mask.

“I do not hear any water.” Shadowsan commented after a minute or so. “Hurry up.”

He waited a few seconds more and then glanced over his shoulder. The boy was exactly where he’d left him, and Shadowsan let out a sigh.

“Take off that mask for a second.” Shadowsan ordered.

Ghost didn’t move or react and so Shadowsan turned back around to face him. 

“I want to see your face.” he ordered. “Take off the mask.”

Ghost silently shook his head, and so Shadowsan reached out and snatched it before the boy could react. Yuri flinched violently like he’d been struck, and he held himself like he expected Shadowsan to hit him. Instead, Shadowsan reached out and gently tipped the boy’s chin up so he could look at the bruises more closely. They looked extremely painful, and Shadowsan wondered if there were more injuries he couldn’t see.

“Where else are you injured?” he demanded.

Yuri didn’t answer him, instead averting his eyes to the floor. The way the boy was folding his arms against his chest made Shadowsan think he was certainly hiding injuries, and so he placed a gentle hand on Yuri’s shoulder.

“I can tell you are injured.” he commented. “Show me.”

Yuri didn’t move and Shadowsan wondered if there was something seriously wrong with the boy. He’d never heard him utter a single word, and now he was displaying extremely worrying behaviour. Shadowsan had a feeling he was going to recommend the boy be sent away from the academy, because it was clear this was **not** a good environment for him. The boy certainly showed a talent for thievery, but his disposition was not suited to be an operative.

“I need to see.” Shadowsan told him, softening his tone. “Please remove your shirt.”

Yuri glanced up at Shadowsan and slowly shook his head.

“Show me or I will be forced to make you remove the shirt.” Shadowsan said. “I need to see if your injuries are serious.”

Yuri bit his lower lip and began to shake and Shadowsan furrowed his brow in concern. “Would you feel better if it was a doctor who looked at you?” he asked.

Yuri closed his eyes and didn’t move.

Shadowsan sighed and then reached down to lift the edge of the boy’s shirt. He caught sight of terrible black bruises across the boy’s stomach and back before Yuri jerked away from him, taking a step back.

“Who did this?” Shadowsan demanded.

Yuri backed up another step.

“Remove your shirt.” Shadowsan ordered, his tone turning severe. “Right this instant.”

Yuri hesitated.

“**Now**, or I will force you.”

Yuri knew he didn’t have a choice and so with shaking hands he set the book aside, and then began unbuttoning his school shirt. Keeping his eyes firmly on the floor, he set the shirt aside and then began removing his long-sleeved black and grey striped shirt. As he pulled the shirt over his head, Shadowsan’s eyes widened at the sight. Almost every inch of skin was covered with terrible bruises, and it was obvious he’d almost been beaten to death. His eyes raked over the injuries and that's when he noticed dozens upon dozens of scars all over the boy’s back, shoulder and stomach. Some scars looked like cigarette burns, others looked rough like the flesh had been torn by something. Shadowsan now knew why the boy was so shy and quiet; he had come from an extremely abusive home.

Shadowsan scowled, knowing he’d be damned if he allowed it to happen here as well. Now he understood why the boy always seemed to think Shadowsan was going to hit him. This is what the boy had grown up with.

Yuri was standing with his eyes squeezed closed, wishing with all his might he could disappear. 

“Put your shirt back on.” Shadowsan ordered. “You’re taking a trip to see Dr. Vess.”

Yuri hurriedly put his two shirts back on and then hesitantly reached for the mask in Shadowsan’s hand. Shadowsan allowed him to take it and then watched as Yuri put it on. The boy instantly relaxed, and now Shadowsan understood. The boy was using the mask to hide, and obviously didn’t want to be seen.

“Follow me.” Shadowsan ordered, heading for the door.

Giving a glance over his shoulder to make sure the boy was following, Shadowsan left the shower room, and then began walking up the hall, heading towards the infirmary. Ghost followed along behind him, still feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. Glad he hadn’t been forced to take a shower in front of someone, he hoped he wasn’t in trouble over this. When they reached the infirmary, Shadowsan knocked on the door, and there was immediately a mutter of frustration from the other side. The door opened, and Dr. Vess looked like he was going to say something, but then went silent at the sight of Shadowsan.

“Good morning, Dr. Vesalius.” Shadowsan greeted. “I have brought a student for you to examine.”

Dr. Vess glanced over at the nearby boy, observed the ghost mask, and then let out an aggravated groan. “I see it’s going to be one of THOSE days.” he commented dryly. “And what seems to be the problem with Casper?”

“Just give him a full examination and then send me the results.” Shadowsan said, turning to walk away. “He’s excused from classes for the rest of today.”

Dr. Vess watched Shadowsan walk away and his expression quickly became annoyed. “Like I don’t have other things to do.” he mumbled to himself. “What are you waiting for? Come in.”

Ghost entered the room, and Vess closed the door after him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shadowsan couldn’t stop thinking of the quiet boy as he walked back to his classroom. The sheer brutality was astounding, and he couldn’t believe Black Sheep was involved in it. He had always viewed her as a sweet and gentle girl, but maybe he had read her completely wrong. She’d been raised by criminals, and maybe this had warped her sense of morality? He’d done his best over the years to shield her from the worst of V.I.L.E, but it was clear he had failed.

Shadowsan stopped walking and stared out a nearby window. He had always cared about Black Sheep and this had blinded him to her darker side. Was there any hope from her or was she bound to make the same mistakes as her father?

Shadowsan thought of the other four students and frowned, not really knowing much about them. Antonio seemed to have a quiet and gentle nature, but clearly he was mistaken. Jean Paul and Sheena had an obvious cruel streak that came out in their classes, and they seemed exactly the type to be a bully. Graham however, was hard to get a read on. He seemed like a complete immature buffoon at first glance, but there was something sneaky and calculating about him. Shadowsan suspected a lot of the showing off and joking around was an act, but he wasn’t entirely sure what the boy was trying to accomplish. From what he’d observed, Graham seemed to take leadership over the entire group, and he was the one instigating the bullying.

Shadowsan knew he couldn’t get directly involved with this situation, or he would be questioned by the other faculty. If they thought he was turning soft, they would turn on him without hesitation. He thought of Graham’s cocky smirk, and scowled.

“Kia ora, Instructor Shadowsan!” a voice called from behind him.

Shadowsan heaved a deep sigh. This was **all** he needed right now. He suddenly felt arms thrown around himself from behind, and he glared over his shoulder at the grinning kiwi who had just slimed him.

Neal the Eel was a tall and thin operative with greasy black hair and the worst buckteeth Shadowsan had ever seen. He wore a black stealth suit made of a special material that excreted oils so he could squeeze himself through tight spaces like air vents. Neal was a loud-mouth, and Shadowsan had very little patience for him.

“Did you miss your favourite student?” Neal demanded, resting his chin on Shadowsan’s shoulder.

Shadowsan made a low and disapproving sound in the back of his throat, not dignifying the man with a response. Neal the Eel had always been a thorn in his side, and was exhausting to be around. A seasoned operative of eleven years, Neal was good at what he did, but had a raw talent for annoying everyone around him. Shadowsan had no idea what he was doing at the academy, but hoped he wouldn’t be staying long.

When Shadowsan didn’t react to the teasing, Neal released him, and then snickered.

“As friendly as always Instructor Shadowsan. It was nice seeing you, cheers!”

As Neal began walking away, Shadowsan stared at him and then had a sudden thought. Shadowsan couldn’t get involved, but someone **else** could… If someone else put a stop to the bullying, it wouldn’t be linked to him, and the faculty would ignore it. Thinking of the sad and anxious redhead, Shadowsan knew he had to help him in any way he could.

“Neal.” Shadowsan called after the operative.

Neal paused, and then glanced back at him in surprise. “Hmm?” he questioned. “Me?”

“Come here for a second.”

Neal seemed a bit confused, but he was curious and approached without hesitation. “What can I do for you?” he asked, expecting to be scolded for his behaviour.

“I need you to run an errand for me.” Shadowsan stated.

Neal raised a brow, **this** not being what he expected. Knowing there were **dozens** of other people Shadowsan could have used, Neal gave him a skeptical frown. He wasn’t an idiot and he knew Shadowsan despised him, and so he knew there had to be some angle he wasn’t seeing.

“Oh?” Neal questioned. “What kind of errand?”

“Go to Dr. Vess and request the medical report I asked him to make of one of my students.”

Neal squinted at him suspiciously. “Ooookay…” he replied. “Any particular reason why you need **me** to do this?”

“I need a trusted operative to bring me that report because I don’t want anyone reading the contents. This is a **complete** secret, and I know I can trust a senior operative to bring it to me unopened and in a timely fashion.”

Neal was instantly intrigued. What was so special about a medical report? Was Shadowsan trying to hide something?

“You can count on me, Instructor Shadowsan!” Neal vowed. “Neal the Eel will complete this mission with the utmost care.”

“Very good.” Shadowsan told him. “Once you have the report, bring it to my classroom.”

Neal nodded, and without a word, he hurried down the hall in the direction of the infirmary. Shadowsan watched him go and knew that Neal was **definitely** going to read that report. Now, all he had to do was wait and hope Neal took the bait.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When Neal reached the infirmary, he opened the door without even bothering to knock. Wandering into the room in search of the doctor, Neal glanced behind one of the curtains and saw a skinny redhead getting dressed. The boy’s entire body was covered in massive bruises and Neal winced, wondering if the kid had been in some sort of training accident. The boy spun around to face him in alarm, and Neal stared at the boy’s paper mask, feeling like he’d just walked into a **very** weird situation.

“Oops, sorry, love.” Neal apologized, moving to the next curtain before the boy could even respond.

It took Neal three more curtains before he finally found Dr. Vess, who was in the process of stitching up a wound on a student’s leg.

“Kia ora, Vess!” Neal crowed out loudly from behind him, tossing an arm around his shoulder.

Vess nearly jumped a mile, and then he turned a withering stare at Neal. “What are you doing in here?!” Vess snarled out, slapping Neal’s arm away from him. “Get out of here, you greasy nuisance! I have patients I’m treating!”

Neal gave the doctor his most charming smile, knowing how much Vess despised him. “Aw, don’t be like that, love. It’s not **my** fault you have a stick up your arse.”

Vess sighed, and glanced back at the wound he was stitching up. “What do you want?” he demanded impatiently. “You don’t look sick or injured, and therefore you’re wasting my time.”

“Sorry doc, but I’m here on official faculty business.” Neal replied.

Vess finished tying off the stitches and then shot Neal a glare. “What faculty business?” he demanded.

“Shadowsan said you have some sort of report that he needs **immediately** about a student?”

Vess narrowed his eyes at him. “Why would he send **you** just to pick up paperwork?”

Neal gave a shrug. “Dunno, but this is my mission.”

Vess was skeptical, but didn’t especially care, just wanting Neal to leave. “The medical report is on my desk in a white envelope. If I find out you touched **anything** else on my desk, I will track you down and castrate you with a butterknife.”

Neal grinned at him, and laughed. “You’re always such a flirt, Vess.”

Vess muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and turned back to his patient. “Your flu-shot is due this month, Neal, and I want you to come back tomorrow morning to get it.” he ordered.

“Ugh.” Neal complained. “Didn’t I just get one of those?”

“Not since last October.” Vess replied as he disinfected the student’s wound. “I should probably get your yearly physical out of the way at the same time since you’re on the island.”

Neal grimaced, knowing that meant he was going to be lectured for an hour straight like every year due to his less than ideal diet.

“I think I’m busy tomorrow.” Neal lied.

“Tough.” Vess responded without looking up. “I outrank you.”

Neal raised a brow. “You do? Really?”

Vess shot him a look of annoyance. “Of course I do.” he snapped. “I’m a doctor and you’re a greasy operative. I can override **any** of your decisions if I want.”

Neal smiled widely and Vess could just tell he was about to respond with something inappropriate, and so he quickly nipped that in the bud by pushing Neal out of the curtain.

“Leave my infirmary, Neal.” he ordered. “Didn’t you say Shadowsan needed that report ‘immediately’?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Neal muttered, turning away. “No overriding too many decisions there, Vess. No means no, okay?”

“**Out**, Neal!”

Neal snickered and then headed for Vess’ desk to grab the report. He picked up the white envelope, and then stood there for five minutes as he rearranged every item on the desk until everything was facing the wrong way. Whistling jauntily, Neal then left the infirmary, pulling the report out of the envelope as he did so. He got two steps into the hallway before he stopped dead in his tracks.

The report was filled with the details of injuries sustained from a severe beating, and Neal realized it was the medical report of the kid in the mask. He stood there in silence as he read the full extent of the injuries, and Neal felt an odd twisting feeling in his gut. The boy had been struck 46 times with a bamboo stick, and there wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t injured. The report also detailed past injuries and Neal was sickened to see there was evidence of burns and incorrectly healed bones. The boy had been completely brutalized for years.

Memories of his own horrendous bullying came to mind, and Neal remembered how he’d suffered for months with no one to help him. The Rhino used to beat him senseless, and Neal had felt helpless to stop it. All the pain and misery he’d been forced to endure flashed through his mind, and Neal glanced down the hallway with a frown. He could see the skinny redhead was standing nearby, looking through a sketchbook of some kind, and Neal frowned, seeing how vulnerable the boy looked.

As he watched, he saw a group of five students suddenly approach the boy. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he’d originally assumed if the boy had friends? One of the boys suddenly pushed the kid against the wall, and then laughed as the redhead shrank back in fear. This wasn’t a case of a single bully, this was five against one. Even if the boy fought back, he wouldn’t stand a chance with those odds. This was nothing but a bunch of cowards picking on a smaller student. Neal clenched his fists as he watched the laughing teens, and he saw Black Sheep was among them. Neal never would have expected the sweet and happy Black Sheep to be a bully, but clearly she had changed a lot since he was a student. 

The thin boy was given another shove, and his book was snatched out of his hand as they laughed at him. Neal suddenly saw red. 

Not even having to think about it, he headed straight for the group, knowing exactly what he was going to do. Once he was near, he called out to the group.

“Shadowsan needs to see you, Black Sheep.” 

Black Sheep turned to stare at him in surprise. “Oh, hello, Neal.” she greeted. “How are you?”

“It’s urgent.” Neal stated, ignoring her question. “He said to go to his classroom as soon as possible.”

Black Sheep furrowed her brow, but then nodded. “Oh, okay...” she responded. “I wonder what he wants?”

“Dunno, but get going.” Neal ordered, his fists still clenched tightly. He didn’t notice that he was beginning to crumple the report in his hand.

“Uh...okay.” Black Sheep replied. “I’ll see you guys next class.” 

Neal watched Black Sheep jog off and the second she was gone, Neal turned to the remaining four students. Without a single word, he lashed out with a hand and shoved the boy who had been pushing the redhead into the wall hard. The boy’s face bounced off the wall and he let out a cry of pain, not expecting the sudden attack.

“Graham!” one of the boy’s cried out in alarm.

“Why did you do that?!” a boy with a French accent demanded.

Neal responded by shoving Graham into the wall a second time. The French boy immediately tried to shove Neal in return who simply stepped away from him.

“I don’t know what your problem is, mate, but do you **really** think you can take on all four of us?” Graham demanded, holding his sore head while shooting him a scowl. 

“That’s right!” the blonde girl snarled. “You mess with **one** of us, you mess with **all** of us!”

Neal’s response was to shove Graham into the wall for the third time, this time causing the boy to get a nosebleed from the impact.

“You asked for it!” The girl snapped, lunging at him. “I’m going to claw out your eyes, you creepy asshole!”

Within seconds, the whole group were going for him and Neal dropped the report to the floor as he lashed out at his attackers. Throwing himself down, he tripped all four of them, and then struck them hard before they could react. Neal kept tripping the students with practiced ease every time they got up, and because of his slick suit, they couldn’t get a grip on him to retaliate. Neal hit them over and over, and when he had sufficiently beaten the snot out of them, he finally stopped.

Neal stared down at them, his expression furious, but restrained himself from seriously injuring them. As they laid there bloody and moaning, Neal knelt down and picked up the sketchbook they’d stolen from the boy. As he approached the boy in the mask, the boy raised his hands to protect his face, and Neal felt pity for the poor kid.

“Here’s your book, love.” he said gently. “You should probably run along now before these douchebags get up.”

The boy’s wide blue eyes stared at him from behind the mask, and without a word, he accepted the book and then fled down the hall. Once he was gone, Neal stared down at the beaten students, still not saying a word. He knelt down and picked up the scattered pages of the medical report and then approached the infirmary. Knocking hard on the door, he opened it and poked his head.

“Oy, Vess!” he bellowed. “There’s some injured students laying out here in the hall.”

Not waiting for a response, Neal walked away, not sparing the students another glance. As he headed for Shadowsan’s classroom, he began trying to put the pages in order, grimacing at the fact they were crumpled and covered in blood splatters. He had a feeling Shadowsan was **not** going to be impressed with this…

Just as he reached Shadowsan’s classroom, Black Sheep exited, and she gave Neal a friendly smile. Neal snubbed her completely and walked past her like he didn’t notice she was there. He wasn’t stupid enough to ever lay a hand on her or Brunt would rip his head off, and so he simply ignored her as he entered the classroom.

Shadowsan was seated at the front of the classroom calmly sipping from a cup of tea, and when he saw Neal approaching, he set his cup aside. Neal held out the report and Shadowsan accepted the papers without a word. Shadowsan stared at the crumpled report, his eyes falling on the droplets of blood that were splattered across the pages, and he flipping through them with a frown. Neal tensed up, having a feeling he was about to be yelled at, but to his surprise, Shadowsan simply gave him a nod of approval.

“Thank you, Neal.”

Neal gave him a look of disbelief, but definitely wasn’t complaining.

“Have you been assigned for your next mission?” Shadowsan asked, setting the papers aside.

“Not yet.” Neal answered, still feeling a bit wary. “I was just here to drop off an artifact for Countess Cleo’s personal collection.”

Shadowsan picked up his teacup and took a long sip. “Refuse any missions given to you.” Shadowsan ordered. “Tell the other faculty that I have you assigned to something.”

Neal hesitated. “Er...okay.” he replied in confusion. “But what exactly am I going to be doing?”

Shadowsan glanced down at the bloody papers. “I’m sure you can figure it out,” he stated. “I think it would be best if you remain exactly where you are for the time being.”

Neal followed Shadowsan’s line of sight, and all of a sudden he understood perfectly. He’d been set up. Shadowsan **knew** he would look at that report, and he **knew** about Neal’s past of being bullied. The clever old man had arranged for Neal to be there the same time as the poor little bullied redhead. Neal smiled at him in amusement, realizing that perhaps Shadowsan wasn’t as cold-hearted as he let on.

“I will do my best.” Neal vowed. “This problem will be taken care of.”

Shadowsan gave him a nod, and then watched as Neal turned and headed for the door. Once he was gone, Shadowsan allowed himself a small smile. Neal was about to make things interesting for those bullies.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC** ****

**I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will be out since I'm going to be working on my main fic Broken. I'm going to aim to update once every couple weeks.**

**Coulrosaurus is responsible for both very adorable pictures in this chapter!**

**Please don't forget to leave a comment if you liked the chapter! :D**


	5. Karma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay is getting this chapter posted. I've had no motivation to do anything lately. I hope you like enjoy the chapter, and I'll do my best to get the next one out a bit faster!
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 7-8 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 5**

**Karma**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

“Are any of you idiots going to explain to me what happened?” Dr. Vess demanded, placing a bandage across Antonio’s nose. “Why were you fighting each other like a bunch of baboons in the hallway? I have better things to do then patch up the aftermath of your stupid, childish squabbles!”

“We got jumped by some weird guy!” Sheena responded angrily, instantly offended by what he said. “We were just minding our own business when he attacked us for no reason!”

Vess glanced over at her and his skepticism was evident.

“I find it unlikely that  **one** student could take down all four of you,” Vess responded, applying a bandage around Antonio’s scraped knuckles. “That would make  **him** the best student in the class, or  **you** four the worst students the academy has ever seen.”

“It wasn’t a student!” Jean Paul exclaimed, feeling a need to defend their honour. “He was much older than us, and must have been an operative!”

Vess frowned at them, still looking skeptical.

“It’s true!” Graham agreed, “He  **had** to have been an operative! Slimy Kiwi bastard took us by surprise!”

Vess’ eyes widened. “Did you say he was a Kiwi?!”

Graham nodded. “Yeah, you know him?”

Vess grimaced and then let out a sigh of aggravation. “Unfortunately,” he admitted.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?!” Sheena demanded, crossing her arms. “That wasn’t a fair fight! I want to complain to someone!”

Vess frowned, knowing it was completely unacceptable for an operative to go around harming the students. He’d have to bring this to the faculty’s attention. He despised Neal more than any other operative, and it would be his pleasure to see that he was punished.

“It will be dealt with,” he promised, turning his gaze to Jean Paul. “Your turn next. Show me where you’re injured.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ghost ran as fast as he could through the hallways, unable to believe what he had just seen. Who was that man? Why did he attack his roommates like that? Knowing he was extremely lucky, he headed for his dorm, intending on hiding in his tent for the rest of the day. He knew the others were likely to be angry when they returned and he didn’t want it taken out on him.

When he reached the dorm, he hurried for his tent, glad to be out of everyone’s sight for a while. Sitting on his bed, he set the sketchbook on his lap and opened it, wanting to finally look through it without interruption. 

Ghost stared at the beautiful clothing designs in admiration, and he slowly flipped through page after page, knowing the man from earlier was incredibly talented. Ghost was almost scared to touch the pages, and he smiled behind his mask as he looked at sketch after sketch. The first half of the book was full of elegant dresses, and dapper suits, but as he continued flipping through, he saw there were dozens of dozens of costume designs.

Ghost stared transfixed at the amazing costumes, and he lifted a hand to his mask, knowing there was no comparison. Was the man he bumped into the costume designer for V.I.L.E? He stared at the incredible costumes, trying to imagine what he’d look like in them. Most of the costumes seemed to be made for men a lot bulkier than him, and so he found himself looking at the women’s costumes. He found himself admiring the ones with wings like a bird. A beautifully coloured one had the title of ‘The Bird of Paradise’ and he was amazed at the fiery coloured feathers. Maybe his little bird would be brightly coloured like this once it hatched?

Ghost smiled at the thought of his little egg, and he knew it was ready to hatch any day now. He had no idea what kind of bird it was going to be, but every day he got more and more excited to find out. The egg was tiny, and so maybe it was a hummingbird?

Ghost thought of the green and blue hummingbirds he used to see around his home in Wales, and felt a tiny pain of sadness. He and his mother used to sit under an enormous apple tree in their backyard where they’d hung several feeders and simply spend hours watching the tiny birds flit about. Ghost couldn’t remember much about his life before being placed into foster care, his mother’s face a blur. He could remember red hair and a soft smile, but not much else. He remembered feeling content and happy, and wished he had more happy memories. 

He hoped his little egg would hatch to be a hummingbird. 

Ghost flipped through page after page of costumes, feeling inspired and a little hopeful of what his own costume could be. He had to decide what his codename would be by January 1st, and he didn’t even know where to start. He lifted a hand to his mask and knew he would probably choose to cover his face. If he could just find the right persona, he could discard Yuri for the rest of his life. The thought of never being the scared and ugly Yuri ever again made him feel a deep sense of peace, and he stared down at the last page of the sketchbook thoughtfully. The very last page was blank as if asking to be filled in with something.

Reaching over to his bedside table, he pulled a pencil out of the drawer and then stared at the blank page, feeling like he needed to fill it in. The blank paper was full of endless possibilities and he didn’t want to mess it up. He could design anything he wanted, but he didn’t even know where to start. Tapping the pencil against the paper, he knew the most logical place to start would be the mask. What kind of mask did he want though?

Perhaps he could design a few and then make up his mind afterwards? Ghost had never really drawn anything before, and so he was rather hesitant. Keeping his drawing small, he drew something that sort of resembled a mask, and then began adding details. He drew mask after mask and then realized he would need to decide on colours as well. He didn’t have anything he could colour with, and considered his options. 

Sheena had dozens of eyeliners and they were sort of like pencil crayons, right? Scratching his head in thought, he peeked out of his tent and saw no one was in the room. His eyes fell on Sheena’s makeup bag, and knew this was theft. This was a school for thieves, and so was this allowed? Sheena would be furious, but he doubted there was anything he could do that would make her hate him even more. She seemed to loath the very sight of him, and he tried to avoid her as much as possible.

His decision made, he crossed the room, snatched the makeup bag and then ran back for his tent. Feeling like his heart was beating out of his chest, he took a deep and calming breath, and then opened the bag. Digging through the large bag, he found what he was looking for and pulled out a rainbow of eyeliners. 

Going with the colours that felt right to him, he began colouring his drawings, realizing the texture of the eyeliner was a bit softer than a pencil. After an hour of work, he looked down at the masks he’d designed and knew they weren’t very good. They looked like something a child would draw, but he was proud of them none-the-less. They gave him a basic idea of what he wanted, but every mask was completely different, and he didn’t know which one to choose. Seven masks had been designed, and he felt like all of them could be a good fit.

Ghost froze when he suddenly heard the door thrown open.

“Hello?” an unfamiliar voice demanded, “Is there anyone in here?”

Ghost didn’t react, holding his breath. Who was it? Why was a stranger in their dorm?

Ghost listened as the man muttered angrily to himself, and then he heard the sounds of the man rummaging through his roommates belongings. Without making a sound, Ghost peered out of his tent, and to his horror, it was the man who owned the sketchbook. Ghost looked down at the drawing and realized the man could think he stole the book. He probably thought he was planning on keeping it. There was no way he’d believe him at this point since Ghost had kept the book all day long without turning it in. He’d only wanted to look at the designs first, but he’d had every intention of giving it back.

Ghost’s eyes widened. What would the man do to him? Would he complain and get him expelled? Would he beat him? Would he kill him?! He knew nothing about the designer, and he felt terror well up in his stomach. He watched as the other man tore through the room angrily, and it was clear he was searching for something. Ghost’s gaze flitted down to the book.

The man dumped everyone’s belongings on the floor and only seemed to get angrier as time went on.

“Where the hell is it?!” he muttered.

The man then glanced between the beds and a momentary look of confusion crossed his face.

“Five beds? I was told there were  **six** students living here…”

Suddenly the man glanced towards Ghost’s tent and for a brief moment their eyes met. The man looked startled for a second and then his face contorted in fury. Ghost quickly disappeared back into his tent, knowing he was probably in for a lot of pain. He was  **so** tired of pain. Why was everything in his life pain?

The man yanked aside the blanket in front of his bed and Ghost immediately covered his head and curled into a ball of fear. The man stared down at the thin boy, and paused at the unexpected reaction. He frowned, but said nothing, his eyes falling on his sketchbook. He snatched it with a gasp, and then glared down at the boy.

“You’d better not have damaged anything! This book was an entire  **year's** worth of work!”

Dash stood there and flipped through the pages and to his relief, none of the pages were bent or smeared. When his gaze fell on the last page in the book, he narrowed his eyes.

“Did you draw in my sketchbook?!” he cried out incredulously.

Ghost curled up even tighter. Dash stared at the childish drawings in annoyance, and realized they were masks. He stared at the page with a frown, and then glanced down at the boy responsible. 

“Is...is this makeup?” he asked uncertainly, rubbing a fingernail across the colour.

Ghost didn’t answer. 

The man’s eyes fell on the eyeliners and his eyes widened. “You used  **Chanel ** eyeliners to colour a picture?!” the horror in his voice made Ghost cringe.

The man wanted to be indignant and angry, but honestly it was a bit hard when the culprit was shaking in terror. He looked the boy over, and he could see bruises and cuts on every bit of exposed skin. 

Heaving a deep sigh of agitation, he took a seat on the bed beside Ghost.

“Stop being so dramatic,” he scolded, “I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name?”

Ghost peered up at him uncertainly and didn’t answer.

“My name is Dash Haber and I am executive courier to Countess Cleo.”

Ghost’s eyes glanced to the sketchbook and Dash followed his line of sight.

“I’m also lead designer of operative costumes, and designer of Countess Cleo’s wardrobe,” he added with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Dash sounded a lot calmer and Ghost slowly lowered his hands away from his face. Dash stared at the crappy paper mask, and then reached a hand out towards it. Ghost flinched back away from him, and Dash withdrew his hand.

“I could have designed a better one,” Dash commented.

The boy was a strange little thing, and Dash felt intrigued. Opening his sketchbook, he set it on his knee, and then pointed to the masks that Ghost designed.

“Ideas for your costume?” he guessed.

Ghost nodded.

Dash studied the drawings for a moment thoughtfully. “They’re interesting,” he acknowledged, “But I can improve them.”

Ghost cocked his head.

“Leave the designing to the professionals,” Dash scolded, closing the book with a snap.

Without saying another word, Dash got up and then headed for the door. Ghost stared after him and then turned his attention to the mess Dash had made of his roommates belongings. Ghost winced when he realized he was the only one in the room. They were going to blame him for this…

Quickly reaching up to fix his tent so he’d be hidden again, he tossed the makeup bag in the general direction of Sheena’s bed, and then curled up to wait for when the shit hit the fan. He didn’t have to wait long, and only twenty minutes later, the door opened and he heard the sound of Sheena’s voice.

“I hope that greasy creep gets thrown into a pit and left there!”

“The whole thing is bizarre,” Black Sheep commented, “Why would Neal just attack you for no reason? He’s a really chill operative! Are you sure you didn’t do anything to him?”

“Why is everyone looking at me?” Graham demanded.

“Probably because you have a way of pissing people off,” Jean Paul responded snottily.

“...what happened to our room?” Antonio asked a bit hesitantly.

There were several exclamations of shock which quickly turned to anger. 

“Who did this?!” Sheena demanded.

Ghost huddled in his tent, knowing they were going to blame him.

“Dorm 2!” Graham exclaimed, “Dorm 2 got payback on us!”

Ghost looked up.

“They would not dare!” Jean Paul hissed.

“Who else would it be?” Graham challenged.

“Ohhh, I  **hate** those guys!” Sheena bellowed angrily. She then let out a gasp. “My makeup! Look what they did to my makeup!”

Ghost listened with wide eyes, unable to believe his luck. He stayed perfectly still, but they made no mention of him, and simply cleaned up the mess, while planning their revenge. They seemed to have forgotten he existed and so after a while, Ghost relaxed, and reached for a textbook. He read quietly for the next several hours until he fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Graham was not having a good day. As always he was the last one awake, and he got a cold shower, accidentally got his socks wet, and then cut himself while shaving. As he ran from the showers, hoping he’d still be able to grab some breakfast, he knew he might be able to grab a bagel before the first bell rang. He burst into the cafeteria, but wasn’t expecting to suddenly be tripped as he stepped through the door. He faceplanted into the floor, and when he looked up, he saw the operative from the day before.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, love!” the man exclaimed in mock sympathy, “I’m so careless!”

Graham was already in a bad mood, and he scowled up at the taller man. What did Black Sheep say his name was? Jake the Snake? No, that was a wrestler. Neal the Eel? Yes, that sounded right. Graham rolled to his feet and narrowed his eyes. Only a slimy name like that suited this operative. He looked Neal up and down, and saw the other man definitely wasn’t the best looking guy. Graham smirked, knowing this was the ammo he could use.

“I don’t know what your problem is rat-face, but you’re standing between me and my breakfast. Get out of my way.”

Neal glanced over his shoulder towards the breakfast table and stared at the basket of bagels. 

“Rat-face? Well, that’s not very nice,” Neal drawled, giving a lazy stretch. “It’s almost like you don’t want to be my new best friend.”

Graham let out a snort. “Look in the mirror, rat. Like anyone would ever want to be friends with a greasy creep like you!”

To Graham’s surprise, Neal simply smiled, the insults not bothering him at all. Graham flushed, and knew he couldn’t back down even if the other man wiped the floor with him in a fight. He went to step around Neal, but he was blocked when Neal took a step to the side. 

“What’s your problem?” Graham demanded, “I haven’t done anything to you!”

Neal’s eyes hardened for a moment, and Graham suddenly found himself staring up at the ceiling as his legs were kicked out from under him. Wincing in pain, he turned his eyes to Neal as the operative placed a foot on top of his chest.

“I’m so clumsy today!” he said with an infuriating smirk, “I’ve knocked you over again!”

“Neal the Eel!” a scolding voice suddenly yelled out.

Neal’s head snapped around to see the cook staring at him, hands on hips.

“Morning, Helga!” he greeted with a large grin.

“Not in my lunchroom!” she scolded, “Keep the rough-housing outside! I won’t have you two making any messes!”

Neal smiled as he saw her clearing the bagels from the table, and he removed his foot from Graham.

“Sure thing,” he told her, “Got a bit carried away.”

Helga narrowed her eyes a bit suspiciously, but she gave a nod and then disappeared back into the kitchen. She’d always liked Neal and was willing to overlook a few things because of this. The bell rang signifying the beginning of first period and Neal headed for the door while whistling a jaunty tune. Graham watched him go and then got back to his feet. His eyes went to the empty breakfast table, and then his stomach gave a loud growl. He glanced towards the door, and knew he was already late and so he headed towards the kitchen.

“Er, excuse me?” he called out, “Helga, was it?”

“Yes, what do you want?” Helga demanded, frowning at him from where she was loading dishes into the sink.

“I missed breakfast,” Graham explained, “Is there any chance I could grab a bagel or something?”

Helga gave him a scowl. “Not a chance,” she snapped, remembering how Graham was bullying the sweet and gentle quiet boy. She really liked that boy and she hated that he was now scared to eat in the cafeteria.

“I’m starving!” Graham protested.

“Not my problem,” Helga responded with a shrug, “You should have gotten up earlier.”

Graham eyed her for a moment and then reached over the counter toward the basket of bagels. As quick as a blink, Helga whirled around and whacked his hand solidly with a wooden cooking spoon. Graham let out a shrill yelp and then yanked his hand away. Rubbing at his hand, he slowly backed away from her as she took another swing at him.

“Out!” Helga ordered, “Out of my cafeteria!”

Graham fled without protest, knowing he didn’t have time to argue. He ran the whole way to Shadowsan’s class, and when he reached the door, he peeked inside and saw the class was already working on origami. Shadowsan had his back to the class and was tending to his bonsai tree and Graham knew he might be able to slip in without being noticed. Using all of the stealth skills he’d learned so far, he silently crept into the room, hiding behind other students as he made his way to his usual spot. No one commented as he snuck through the room, and Black Sheep simply rolled her eyes at him when he sat down beside her.

Graham eyed Shadowsan who still had his back turned, and so he silently picked up his tools and began working on his origami. He thought he got away with it for several seconds and then suddenly he was smacked hard on the back. Jumping in surprise, he looked up and saw Shadowsan looming over him angrily.

“You are late, Graham,” he stated, his tone impatient.

Graham offered him a sheepish smile which was not returned. “Sorry, Instructor Shadowsan,” he apologized, “I was delayed because I got attacked by some slimy operative.”

“No excuses,” Shadowsan scolded.

“He just attacked me for no reason!” Graham protested, “I was just trying to get breakfast and he made me late! I even got attacked by the lunch lady!”

Shadowsan raised a single brow in question.

“I did!” Graham insisted, “Look, it left a mark!”

He held out his hand to display the tiny red mark on the back of his hand, and Shadowsan’s response to that was to bring his bamboo down hard across the hand. Graham let out a strangled yelp and yanked his hand back, cradling it to his chest as he looked up at Shadowsan with betrayed eyes.

“No excuses, Graham,” Shadowsan scolded, “Learn to get up a little earlier like everyone else.”

Graham rubbed at his stinging hand and gave him a nod. “Yes, Instructor Shadowsan. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t” Shadowsan responded, turning to walk away.

“Neal attacked you again?” Black Sheep whispered in surprise.

Graham nodded silently, not wanting to give Shadowsan another reason to smack him.

Black Sheep furrowed her brow in worry. “Something’s not right,” she said quietly, “I’ll find out what’s going on.”

Graham gave her a nod, and then went back to his origami. His stomach growled the entire class, and then he had to trudge his way to Brunt’s class, not looking forward to exercise on an empty stomach. When he entered the gymnasium, he was shocked to see Neal chatting amiably with Coach Brunt. Neal paused whatever he was saying, and shot a cheery smile towards Graham.

“That’s the creep who attacked us!” Sheena cried out in fury. 

“I wonder what he’s doing here?” Antonio wondered out loud.

“Okay, soldiers, fall in line!” Brunt called out.

Everyone took their places, and she seemed pleased about something as she paced in front of them.

“This here is Neal, he’s been an operative for twelve years. He has a little spare time and so he volunteered to show you how to go for the legs during a fight. Neal is a master at this, and you’d be wise to listen to what he has to say.”

Most of the class chattered excitedly, Neal being the first operative most of them had met. Graham glared at him, and decided he was going to make a complaint after class. He refused to be bullied while at the academy. He didn’t even know bullying happened here!

“Kia Ora, kids!” Neal greeted, holding his hands behind his back loosely. “Who wants to volunteer to help me today?”

There was instantly a surge of hands flying into the air, and Neal made a big show of looking over the group thoughtfully before he made his decision.

“You there, the one with the fancy hair!” Neal said, pointing at Graham. “You are the lucky one who gets some hands on experience!”

There were a few murmurs of disappointment, and Graham grimaced, knowing this was a trap.

“Er...I don’t think I really feel up to it today…” he started to protest, but he was quickly interrupted by Brunt.

“Nonsense, sugar, get in there and make me proud.”

Graham eyed Neal warily, knowing he had no choice. He shuffled his way through the crowd and then came to stand in front of Neal. Neal grinned widely at him, seeing the distrust in the boy’s eyes. Without a single word of warning, Neal swept Graham’s legs out from under him.

“Now, can anyone explain what I just did?” Neal asked, smile never once wavering.

“Tripped him?” a student called out.

“Be a little more specific, love,” Neal scolded.

When no one answered, Neal reached a hand down to help Graham up. Graham slapped his hand away and got up unassisted.

“Let me show everyone again,” Neal announced, “Now pay close attention to how I position my legs when I sweep, and the spot I make contact. This is incredibly important if you want to ensure your opponent always hits the ground.”

Once again Neal swept Graham’s legs out from under him without any warning. Wincing in pain, Graham felt his face redden a bit at how easily he was knocked down.

“Did everybody see?” Neal asked.

“Could I see you do it a bit slower?” a girl asked, earning her a glare from Graham.

“Certainly!” Neal replied, “Come on, wombat, up you get!”

Graham rolled back to his feet, not wanting to admit how much it hurt to hit the floor like that.

“Everyone come in a little closer if you want to see!” Neal said, smirking at Graham in an infuriating fashion.

The whole class moved in, and Neal very slowly moved like he was going to sweep Graham’s legs who tensed in preparation. Instead, Neal paused and held his foot right above Graham’s ankle, not actually touching him.

“This is the most basic move for tripping your opponent,” Neal told them, “See where my foot is? Hit someone solidly here and they’ll go down every time.”

He then removed his foot without ever touching him and Graham relaxed. He then found himself once again flat on the floor as Neal tripped him and shot him a cheeky smile.

“Every time!” Neal repeated.

“What’s your problem?!” Graham shouted, once again getting to his feet.

Neal immediately tripped him again. “What do you mean, my little Aussie friend? We’re just doing some basic training exercises.”

“You’re picking on me and I don’t know why!” Graham snarled, remaining sitting on the floor.

“Who, me?!” Neal asked in alarm. 

“I’m going to put in a complaint against you, you greasy weirdo!”

The class stared at Graham like he’d suddenly sprouted an extra head, having no idea what his problem was. Neal hadn’t done anything wrong that they could see.

“No need to be sore, love,” Neal responded, “I can always trip my opponents, it’s nothing personal. That’s what I’m here to teach!”

“No, you’re singling me out and I want to know why!”

Brunt stepped forward and yanked Graham up by the arm. “That’s enough out of you,” she scolded, “You’re lucky Neal wasn’t offended by your disrespectful attitude! Most operatives would have beat the snot out of you for acting like this!”

“You don’t understand!” Graham cried out in frustration, “He’s crazy! Why is he only demonstrating with me, when there’s a whole room full of people?! He’s doing it to humiliate me!”

Coach Brunt raised an eyebrow in question. “I think you have too high of an opinion of yourself, sugar.”

Graham flushed, realizing he was making himself look like an idiot.

“Neal, perhaps you should choose a new volunteer, since Graham seems to be off his game today?” Brunt suggested, glaring at Graham in warning.

Neal grinned at her. “Sure thing, love. There’s always at least one fuck-wit in every class.”

The students snickered at that, and Graham clenched his fists and stepped back into the crowd with the others.

“Okay, I need a new volunteer!” Neal announced, “Preferably one not quite as sensitive as our poor Aussie here.”

Graham felt his face burn in embarrassment.

Once again there was a wave of hands raising into the air and Neal scanned the crowd. His gaze fell on the quiet boy standing in the back. 

“You!” Neal said, pointing through the crowd. “The cute little ghost boy!”

Everyone turned to stare at Ghost who froze in surprise, definitely not expecting to be chosen.

“Come on, love!” Neal invited, “Everything will be right as!”

Ghost hunched in on himself, and knew this wasn’t going to end well. He crept through the crowd and then stood in front of Neal, waiting to be humiliated. 

“You ready?” Neal questioned.

When Ghost nodded, Neal very slowly demonstrated the trip, stopping short of actually touching him. 

“Okay, now you try,” Neal invited, “Try to trip me.”

Ghost hunched in on himself further, and Neal wondered if it was the wrong decision making the boy perform in front of the class.

“It’s alright, love,” he assured him, “You don’t have to worry about hurting me. I can take a fall. Go ahead, give it your best shot.”

Ghost stared at him for a moment and then slowly stanced his body. Neal gently corrected the stance, and to his amusement, Ghost lashed out at him with a foot but stopped before ever touching him.

“Good first try!” Neal complimented, “Aim a little lower next time and make sure to keep your leg straight. Try again!”

Ghost tried again and once again never touched him. Neal didn’t comment on this, instead correcting the boy’s stance again.

“Again!” he ordered.

This time Ghost imitated Neal’s trip perfectly, and Neal found himself on the ground. Ghost’s eyes widened in fear, but Neal simply laughed and rolled to his feet.

“Perfect trip, little ghost!” he praised, “This is of course just a basic trip, and it’s easy to block, but there are more advanced ways to take out your opponents legs.”

Graham stared at Ghost, still completely embarrassed, unable to believe the dorky redhead actually succeeded. He watched as Neal calmly and gently spent the rest of class working with Ghost and demonstrated a variety of ways to knock an opponent off their feet. He was loath to admit that Ghost was actually doing a really good job, and watched with a frown, unsure of why he even cared.

By the time class ended, Graham was feeling grumpy and hungry, and he sped out of the gym before Neal could corner him again. He hurried straight for Countess Cleo’s class, knowing it was almost time for lunch. He just had to survive another class and then he could gorge in the cafeteria.

Graham saw no sign of Neal at all while in Cleo’s class, but to his embarrassment, his stomach growled loudly during the entire class. Cleo kept shooting him disapproving glares, but there was nothing he could do about it. He sat there in misery until finally class was over.

“I’m starving!” Graham announced to the others as they headed for the cafeteria.

“Really? We hadn’t noticed,” Sheena replied dryly.

“I’m going to find Neal and ask him about why he’s picking on you,” Black Sheep announced, “Save me a seat at the table.”

“You want us to come with you?” Antonio asked in concern.

“No, you guys get lunch, I won’t be long.”

“What if he attacks you?” Antonio protested, his expression worried. 

“I can take care of myself,” Black Sheep assured him, “You have nothing to be worried about.”

“Just be careful,” he warned her, “Neal the Eel is a good fighter.”

“I promise I’ll be fine,” Black Sheep responded, breaking off from the crowd. “Be back soon!”

Black Sheep jogged through the halls, having no idea where Neal could be. He wasn’t in Brunt’s classroom, and he wasn’t in Shadowsan’s classroom, so she searched the whole academy until she spotted him slithering out of one of the vents on the second floor. He was holding a sandwich in his hand, and he took a bite of it as he walked down the hall like this was the most normal thing in the world.

“Neal!” she called out, jogging after him.

Neal paused, glanced back at her, and then his expression quickly showed his distaste before he masked the look with indifference. He turned to keep walking, but Black Sheep sped up to catch up to him.

“Neal, I need to talk to you for a moment.”

Neal heaved a sigh, took another bite of his sandwich and then turned to face her. “Yeah?” he demanded rudely.

Black Sheep didn’t understand his obvious anger, and knew there must have been some sort of misunderstanding.

“Neal, what’s wrong?” she asked, “Why are you picking on my roommates? What happened?”

Neal stared down at the small girl for a moment, and then turned to walk away. She quickly caught him by the wrist.

“You’ve been bullying Graham, Neal, and it’s not fair. He’s a really nice guy, and he doesn’t deserve it.”

“Oh?” Neal questioned.

“You’re bigger than Graham, stronger than him, and have over a decade of fighting experience. It’s not fair, and it’s  **wrong** . Why are you bullying him? What did he do?”

Neal narrowed his eyes at her. Was she really that thick that she couldn’t figure it out?

“Bullying someone smaller than you isn’t right!” Black Sheep scolded, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Neal let out a snort. “Take a look in the mirror, kid,” he responded, “Perhaps before judging  **me** , you should take a long, hard look at yourself first.”

He went to pull away, but Black Sheep held on, tightening her grip.

“Neal, you’ve always been such a nice and friendly operative. I know something must have happened, but I can’t help if you won’t talk to me. Please tell me what Graham did so I can fix it.”

Neal knew for Graham to learn from this he had to make the connection himself. He had to realize the pain and suffering he was causing the other boy, before he could truly stop being a bully. If Black Sheep told Graham the reason for the bullying, the other boy would just be sneakier about his bullying, and probably blame the victim for Neal getting involved. Neal had personally seen things like this happen, and he knew Graham needed to be taught a valuable lesson. 

“No, this is between Graham and I,” Neal responded, “An eye for an eye. Don’t get involved in this.”

“What did he do?”

Neal yanked his arm out of her grip. “He’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Neal then walked away from her and Black Sheep was left frowning after him. She didn’t know what Graham had done, but it was obviously something that had infuriated Neal. She’d have to have a talk with him to see if Graham could figure out what he’d done. Black Sheep knew she couldn’t allow the bullying to continue and so she decided that she would make a complaint to the faculty about Neal.

She hurried back to the cafeteria and she saw the others had saved her a seat. Grabbing an apple and a salad, she carried her tray over and took a seat with her friends. Graham was looking absolutely foul about something, and she gave the others a questioning look.

“He thinks someone stole his sandwich,” Sheena explained, rolling her eyes.

“Someone  **did** steal my sandwich!” Graham cried out furiously.

“We’re sitting in the corner of the cafeteria away from everyone else,” Jean Paul pointed out, “How would someone steal your food?”

“I don’t know, but one second I had a sandwich and then next second my tray was empty!”

“You probably ate it, idiot,” Sheena commented.

“I didn’t eat it!” Graham cried out. 

“Then are you accusing one of us of taking it?” Jean Paul demanded, raising a brow.

Graham hesitated. “Well, no.” 

“Then you think your sandwich magically flew away?” Jean Paul teased.

“Look, I don’t know what to say, but  **someone** stole my lunch!”

“Why don’t you get a new one?” Black Sheep asked, “There’s plenty of food.”

Graham scowled. “The lunch lady hates me for some reason and she wouldn’t give me another one.”

Black Sheep glanced behind Graham and saw there was an air vent behind him. She had a feeling she knew exactly where his sandwich had gone, but she didn’t say anything.

“Do you want some of my salad?” she offered.

Graham glanced at her salad and then grumpily stabbed a bit with his fork. “Thanks,” he said, knowing a salad wasn’t going to be very filling.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Everywhere Graham went that day, Neal seemed to be there, and he was shoved into walls, tripped, and teased mercilessly. Bruised, hungry, and in a terrible mood, he fled for the dorms the second classes were over for the day. Hoping Neal wouldn’t be bold enough to follow him into his dorm, he just wanted a bit of time to himself before supper. Before he opened the door, a tall and very well-dressed man approached him.

“Is this the dorm with the student named Graham?” he demanded.

Graham stared at him for a moment, and didn’t recognize him. Was this an operative? He stared at the man’s perfect hair, his handsome face, and stylish clothes and had his doubts.

“Depends who’s asking,” Graham replied cagily.

The man eyed him like he was dirt under his shoe, and rolled his eyes in an over-dramatic fashion. “I am Dash Haber, executive courier to Countess Cleo,” he replied in a snotty tone of voice.

“Oh…” Graham replied, realizing Dash was someone important. “I’m Graham.”

Dash looked him up and down slowly, and then held out an envelope. “This is for you.”

Graham accepted the envelope, and Dash turned and walked away without another glance at him. Graham furrowed his brow and saw his name was written on the front of the envelope. Turning it over, he saw it was sealed with wax like he’d seen in movies. Breaking the seal, he pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it.

**Attention Graham from Dorm 3,**

**It has been brought to our attention that there has been an incident. Please present yourself immediately to the faculty lounge for an explanation.**

**Countess Cleo**

Graham blanched. The faculty were summoning him?! What for? What did he do? Graham thought of all the silly pranks and fights he’d gotten into since the term began and was suddenly worried. Had he gotten expelled? What happened when you were expelled? Did they kill you?

Graham grimaced and then slowly headed in the direction of the faculty lounge. Trying to come up with excuses for his behaviour, he decided he would put all the blame on his dormmates and hope they believed him. Graham knew it was a dirty thing to do, but if it meant saving his life then he’d thrown them all under the bus without hesitation. He’d only known them for a few weeks, and he owed them nothing.

When Graham reached the doors to the faculty lounge, he hesitated and shifted from foot to foot nervously, feeling like he was about to go on trial. Taking a deep breath, he raised a fist and knocked on the door.

“Enter!” came Coach Brunt’s loud voice.

Graham pulled one of the doors open, and then slipped inside. The faculty were sitting on a raised platform in the center of the room, and he felt absolutely tiny as he approached them. The lights above the faculty were green, and it made everything around him look intimidating. 

Professor Maelstrom had his fingers steepled as he watched him approach, his expression severe, but his eyes seemed curious. Coach Brunt had her arms crossed against her chest, and she seemed impatient. Shadowsan was stone-faced as always, and Graham had no idea what mood he was in. Doctor Bellum didn’t seem to be paying any attention to him, her attention on the various screens around her. Lastly Countess Cleo was staring down at him imperiously, her hands resting on the table in front of her as she tapped her fingers impatiently.

“Graham, do you know why we summoned you here today?” Cleo demanded.

“Er...no ma’am,” he replied, not wanting to admit to anything.

Maelstrom then spoke up. “It has been brought to our attention that one of our operatives has been bullying you.”

This definitely wasn’t what Graham was expecting. “Oh,” he replied.

“Who is the operative?” Cleo demanded, although it was clear she already knew the answer.

“Neal the Eel has been bullying me,” Graham replied, hoping they were actually going to do something about it.

“Can you tell us everything Neal has done to you?” Brunt demanded with a frown.

Graham smiled. “With pleasure.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

  
  


Neal wasn’t at all surprised when he received a summons to appear in front of the faculty. He imagined Black Sheep probably tattled on him, and it was doubtful Shadowsan made the rest of the faculty aware of what Neal was up to. Being summoned to the faculty lounge meant you were in  **very** deep shit, but Neal wasn’t concerned about that. 

Tossing the summons into the nearby trashcan, Neal began heading for the faculty lounge while whistling a happy tune. He’d had an extremely fun day, and he wondered if Graham was finally going to figure out why Neal was targeting him. 

When he reached the faculty lounge, Graham was exiting the door, and the boy shot him a smug smile, clearly thinking Neal was in trouble. Neal’s response to that was to smile at him in a friendly fashion, and then shove Graham into the door hard enough to cause a loud thump, and send the boy sprawling to the floor.

“Oops, pardon me,” Neal said, stepping over him to enter the lounge.

Neal strolled into the lounge and shot a bright smile up at the less than happy looking faculty.

“Kia ora!” Neal called up to them. 

He received severe looks in return, but his smile never once faltered.

“Neal the Eel,” Maelstrom greeted, “A very serious accusation has been made against you.”

Neal made a show of rubbing his nails on his shirt, clearly unconcerned with whatever they had to say. “Oh?” he questioned.

“I’m gonna be blunt here, chickpea,” Brunt said, “Are you bullying a student?”

“Yep.”

The faculty blinked down at him in surprise, not expecting him to just openly admit it.

“You...you are?” Brunt asked.

“Yep.”

Cleo let out a sigh. “May I ask why  **you** , a seasoned operative of 12 years, are bullying a  **student** ?”

Neal gave a shrug. “He deserves it.”

Maelstrom now seemed interested. “What did he do?” he demanded.

“Something personal,” Neal answered evasively.

“So you don’t deny hitting him, pushing him, and name calling him?”

“I also stole his lunch and tripped him,” Neal added with a smirk.

“You do understand why this is so serious, correct?” Maelstrom demanded.

Neal gave a shrug.

“That boy doesn’t stand a chance against you and you know it!” Brunt scolded.

“I definitely know it,” Neal confirmed with an amused giggle.

“Well, knock it off!” Brunt ordered, “Leave that boy alone!”

Neal shook his head. “Nope.”

Four angry stares were immediately aimed his way, but Neal’s friendly expression never once wavered.

“Excuse me?” Cleo demanded, “How  **dare** you show us this level of disrespect! Are you trying to get yourself punished?”

Neal shook his head a second time. “No disrespect meant, love. Graham deserves it and he needs to be taught a lesson. Until he learns, I’m not going to stop.”

“What did he do?” Maelstrom once again asked.

“Something that personally offended me,” Neal answered, “It’s between Graham and I.”

“You should be punished,” Cleo said decidedly, “This is unacceptable behaviour for a seasoned operative. Everyone in favour of letting him off, raise your hand and everyone in favour of a punishment, keep your hand on the table.”

Maelstrom scratched his chin thoughtfully, genuinely curious as to what Neal was up to. He wanted to see this play out fully and so he raised his hand. This wasn’t surprising, but what  **was** surprising was when Shadowsan raised his hand. The others stared at him in surprise, and so he crossed his arms.

“Graham is a disruptive and immature student,” he stated, “I feel like perhaps this will teach him something. Whatever he has done to Neal shouldn’t be repeated in the future or it will cause problems for us.”

“Now, ‘ol stoneface, this isn’t like you!” Brunt exclaimed, “Allowing Neal to get away with disrespect?”

Shadowsan glared down at Neal. “In this circumstance, I believe it is the lesser of the two evils.”

Everyone then turned to stare at Doctor Bellum who had her elbows on the table and her hands resting under her chin as she watched a video. It was unclear what she was voting for. Cleo let out an aggravated sigh.

“Saira,” she called over.

Bellum didn’t react.

“Saira!”

Bellum glanced over. “What?” she demanded. 

“We need your vote,” Cleo responded impatiently.

“For what?”

Cleo glared at her. “Were you paying attention at all?” she demanded.

“Of course not, you all seem to have the situation sorted,” Bellum replied, her gaze going back to the video.

“Saira, honestly!” Cleo cried out, “Our vote is at a stalemate, and you need to make a decision.”

Bellum sighed, and then reached out to pause her video. Turning her gaze to Neal, she then smiled.

“Oh, hello Neal! What are you doing here?”

“I’m in trouble for bullying a student,” he replied.

“Ah, yes, of course,” she stated, adjusting her goggles. “The little Australian boy, right?”

“That’s the one, love.”

“And what am I voting for?”

“Whether or not to punish me for it.”

“Oh,” Bellum said, “Well, that’s an easy enough vote. I vote not to punish him.”

Cleo looked like she had smelled something unpleasant. “Saira, he’s been hitting a student, and he won’t even tell us why!”

Bellum gave a shrug. “Why do you care? Neal is more valuable to us than one measly student. I frankly don’t care if he’s picking on someone. We have better things to be focusing our attention on.”

Neal’s smile widened. “Thanks, love. How’s that Crackle Rod invention going?”

“I just finished the prototype!” Bellum said, her demeanor changing immediately. “In fact I’ve already demonstrated it to the students.”

“Mean as,” Neal replied, “Does it have different settings?”

“The prototype only has a mild voltage, but the final model will have five different levels of power. The fifth level is powerful enough to take down a bear.”

“Well, I don’t see myself fighting any bears in the near future, but I’d love to take a look if you don’t mind.”

Bellum seemed to get excited at the prospect of discussing her inventions and she hopped down from her seat without hesitation. “It’s been a while since you’ve been to my lab. Follow me and I’ll show you everything I’ve been working on!”

Cleo cleared her throat loudly and Bellum glanced over at her in confusion. “Do you need a throat lozenge, Cleo?”

“No, I was attempting to display my displeasure at the both of you.”

Bellum cocked her head. “Oh,” she replied, “Why?”

Cleo sighed like she was used to this type of behaviour from the doctor. “We still haven’t decided what to do about Neal!”

“Oh, that,” Bellum said, waving her hand dismissively. “I vote in favour of letting Neal go. I thought I was pretty clear on that.”

“We can’t just let it go!”

Bellum rolled her eyes and turned to Neal. “Are you going to hurt the student?”

“Nothing permanent.”

“Keep the wounds arbitrary so they don’t affect his training.”

Neal nodded in agreement. “Chur.”

Bellum sighed. “I wish you would stop using Kiwi slang words in conversation with me. I never know what you’re saying.”

“Sorry, love. So am I done here?”

“Yes, yes, come with me,” Bellum said, taking him by the arm.

Neal glanced back at the other faculty and saw Cleo and Brunt did not look very happy. He gave them a salute and then followed Bellum out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Graham couldn’t hear what was being said in the room no matter how hard he pressed his ear against the door. He could hear the quiet murmur of voices but that was it. What was going to happen to Neal? Was he going to be fired? Would they make him apologize? Maybe they’d make him do something humiliating like apologize to him in front of the entire class of students? Graham certainly hoped so. He hated that greasy Kiwi, and hoped he was severely punished. The faculty had seemed genuinely angry at everything he had to say, so he knew they were going to take him seriously.

Just as Graham was debating on cracking the door open so he could eavesdrop, the door suddenly opened and slammed into his face hard. Graham stumbled backwards and clapped a hand to his bloody nose, and Dr. Bellum passed by without so much as a glance at him. Neal was by her side and when he saw Graham, he grinned cheekily.

Without a word, he tripped Graham and then fell in step beside Bellum who clearly didn’t care what she’d just witnessed.

“You'll find my new model of the belly blaster especially interesting,” she informed Neal, “I’ve improved its aim, so the user no longer has to worry about shockwaves.”

Graham gaped at Bellum, unable to believe she didn’t comment on the fact he’d just been assaulted. He watched them walk away, and he remained sitting on the floor, it taking a few seconds for the realization to hit him. They let Neal get away with it. Graham angrily slammed a fist down on the floor, and then winced at the pain this caused. Why was this happening to him? What did he ever do to deserve this?

Wiping the blood from his face, he slowly got back to his feet and then kicked the faculty room door as hard as he could. He then stormed off down the hall, feeling like all of this was unfair. What kind of place allowed someone to beat on one of their students? He’d never done  **anything** to Neal! It’s like the operative picked him at random and started picking on him. Graham prided himself on being friendly, charming and handsome, and he had no idea why Neal seemed to hate him. Was he jealous? 

Graham was hungry, sore, and feeling very sorry for himself as he headed back for his dorm. If the faculty weren’t willing to help him, then what could he do? There was no one to help him. Would he have to put up with this every single day? How could he possibly endure that?

Graham opened the door to his dorm and when he stepped inside, he saw the quiet kid kneeling down at the lockers across the room. Graham had wanted to be alone to sulk for a while, but it looked like he wouldn’t even get this small mercy. He scowled at the other boy who hadn’t noticed him yet. The boy had his back turned to him and he seemed to be looking very intently at something. Squinting across the room, he saw the boy had a shoebox, and Graham was instantly suspicious. He knew the other boy had been up to something for weeks, and he had a feeling it had something to do with that box.

Without making a single sound, Graham silently crept across the room and then peered over the boy’s shoulder. Ghost was staring down at a very tiny egg, and it was now obvious that he’d been caring for it this whole time. Completely by impulse, Graham surged forward and snatched the egg out of the box.

“What’s this?” he asked, holding the egg between two fingers.

Ghost let out a strangled noise of distress and reached for the egg, but Graham closed his fingers over it, and took a step back. Surprised at the unexpected sound, he stared at him a moment, and then smirked.

“You hatching chickens, Freak?” he demanded.

Ghost said nothing, but Graham could see the worry in the other boy’s eyes. It made him feel powerful and a little bit better about how horrible his day had been. Graham was the one in charge here, and his anger and frustration from the day was making him feel mean.

“This is contraband,” he informed him, “Maybe I should smash it?”

There was an audible gasp from Ghost, and to his surprise, the boy put his hands up in a pleading gesture, his breath quick and afraid. Seeing him like this made Graham hesitate for a moment, but he pushed aside his guilty feelings. He had no idea why it was so fun to mess with the other boy, but Graham knew the boy always seemed to be in his line of sight. Every class, every break, Graham’s gaze found its way to the quiet redhead. He felt frustrated and didn’t understand his fascination.

Graham held the egg up to the light, but he couldn’t see through the shell. “What do you think, Freak? Should I make a tiny scrambled egg?”

To his surprise Ghost grabbed a hold of his arm, desperation and fear showing in the blue eyes behind the mask. Graham stared at those wide blue eyes and then suddenly wanted to see the boy’s face. He reached forward and ripped the mask off before Ghost could react. Yuri flinched back from him like he’d been struck and Graham stared in shock at the bruises and cuts that covered the other boy’s face.

“Who did this to you?!” Graham demanded in surprise. It looked like the boy had been seriously injured.

Yuri frowned at him, his gaze focusing on Graham’s fist where he held the egg.

“Was it that Neal guy? Dorm 2? Come on, mate, who’s messing with you?”

Yuri blinked at him in disbelief and then pointed a finger at Graham. Graham immediately scoffed.

“I never did that to you! What are you talking ab-”

He cut off as he took in the shape of the bruises and cuts. It was clear they were caused by the bamboo sticks. They had beaten the boy senseless and he’d had no idea. 

Graham slowly began opening his fist, suddenly feeling like a complete monster. Graham’s eyes took in the horrible marks, and knew that under the boy’s clothes were probably masses of similar injuries. He hadn’t meant to actually hurt him, he’d just been messing around. He remembered the tiny pained cry Yuri had let out during the beating, and Graham swallowed heavily.

Graham raised a hand to his own sore face from when Neal struck him, and felt like his stomach dropped to his feet. Was he a bully? Had he been bullying the quiet boy since term started? He’d just been playing around, right? Maybe they took things a bit far the other night, but they didn’t mean any harm.

Graham glanced down at the egg in the palm of his hand and then at the other boy. He could see tears welling in the boy’s eyes, and Graham suddenly felt awkward.

“Look, mate, I didn’t mean for-” Graham suddenly cut off when he felt movement in his hand.

Opening his hand, he stared down at the little egg, and his eyes widened when it wiggled.

“It’s hatching!” Graham exclaimed.

Yuri let out a gasp and then held out his hand, his eyes silently pleading with Graham. Graham gently placed the egg back into Yuri’s palm who quickly backed a safe distance away from the other boy. He then opened his hand and stared in wonder at the egg that was moving somewhat violently. The boy rubbed a thumb gently over the tiny egg, Graham who grew up around a lot of wildlife, was a little bit worried.

“Did you moisten the shell?” he asked.

Yuri nodded.

“You need to keep it moist while it’s hatching or the shell could dry out trapping the chick inside.”

Yuri ignored Graham, all of his attention on the egg. Graham edged over a bit closer so he could watch, and Yuri gave him a wary look out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m not going to hurt it,” Graham told him, “I would  **never** hurt an animal. I shouldn’t have teased you about it.”

Yuri seemed a bit skeptical and when Graham looked at his bruises, he couldn’t blame him. All day Graham had been hit and pushed around and that wasn’t even close to all the things they’d done to the other boy. Graham glanced to the tent, and winced at how horrible they were. Why had they started picking on him? What had he done? Graham thought back to the first few days at the academy and remembered the boy wouldn’t speak to them. At the time Graham had been rather insulted, but now he realized they had all overreacted. He’d never once heard the boy utter a single word and now wondered if he was just shy or whether he was mute. 

Graham thought back to the first time Neal had picked on him and what he was doing at the time. His eyes widened. He’d pushed Yuri into the wall hard, and then the next thing he knew, Neal had shoved  **him ** into the wall. Graham gaped, wondering if Neal had some sort of connection to the boy. Were they related? He doubted it, but clearly Neal had some sort of vested interest in Yuri.

Graham shifted uncomfortably, not sure why the thought of someone looking at Yuri bothered him so much. He glanced at the redheaded boy, and really studied him. His hair was a dark red, almost an auburn, and his skin was incredibly pale. There was a smattering of tiny freckles all over the boy’s face, and they suited him. The thing that stood out the most about the boy were his bright blue eyes that were always sad, and always so gentle. Graham had been staring at those eyes for nearly a month now, and for some reason they always caught his attention.

Graham stared at the way the boy gently touched the little egg, and he felt his heart begin to beat fast in his chest. A tiny piece of shell broke and when Yuri saw the pip, he smiled. This was the very first smile Graham had ever seen on the boy’s face, and it was sweet, gentle and sincere. Graham stared and his breath seemed to catch in his throat as he looked at that smile. Yuri’s entire face seemed to be transformed by that smile, and Graham felt his heart give another flutter.

Without even thinking about it, he stepped towards Yuri who immediately held the egg away from him, clearly worried he was going to take it again. Graham wasn’t interested in the egg however, and before he knew it, he leaned in and captured the boy’s lips with his own. Yuri’s eyes became comically wide, and he froze in place as Graham gently placed a hand on Yuri’s cheek. 

Graham suddenly realized what he had done and jerked violently back. He clapped a hand to his mouth and stared at Yuri with horrified eyes. Yuri seemed a bit shellshocked and didn’t move a muscle, his eyes glued to Graham in alarm.

Graham felt panic begin to fill him. Oh god, what had he done?! No, no, no. He’d just kissed another boy, and not just  **any** boy, the same boy he’d been bullying for a month. Graham and Yuri remained frozen in place for several long seconds and then Graham began slowly backing away.

“Why did you kiss me?!” Graham demanded angrily, “I’m not interested in you, Freak! Stay away from me!”

Without another word, Graham turned and fled from the room as fast as he could. Yuri stared after him, having no idea what just happened. He slowly raised a hand to his lips, his eyes still trained on the closed door. The egg shook in his hand, and his attention went back to it, seeing the hole was a little bigger. Giving one last confused glance towards the door, Yuri grabbed the shoebox and then disappeared into his tent.

Graham was perhaps the most confusing boy he’d ever met. He kept getting mixed signals and had no idea what to think. Curling up on his bed, Yuri smiled down at the little egg, knowing that in just a few hours, he’d have a new friend. 

For the first time since arriving at the academy, Yuri felt a tiny sliver of happiness. Maybe things would get better, maybe he just had to hang in there a little longer. Holding the egg in the palm of his hand, he waited.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**Coulrosaurus is responsible for the very adorable kissing picture in this chapter!**

**I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will be out since I'm going to be working on my main fic. I'm going to aim to update once every couple weeks.**

**Please don't forget to leave a comment! Reviews make the author happy! :D**


	6. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay is getting this chapter posted. I've had no motivation to do anything lately. I hope you like enjoy the chapter, and I'll do my best to get the next one out a bit faster!
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 7-8 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 6**

**Forgiveness**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

  
  


Graham ran as fast as he could away from the dorm, shoving people out of his way without a care. Angry yells followed after him, but he just ran faster, wanting to get as far away from Yuri as he could. He bumped into Coach Brunt as he charged through the academy, but he didn’t so much as apologize or slow down.

“What’s the hurry, Sugar?” she called after him in amusement, “Someone start a fire?”

Graham didn’t answer, too panicked to even realize the disrespect he’d shown her. He ran into a section of hallway he’d never been to before, having no idea where he was going and not caring. When he was finally out of breath and unable to run any more, he leaned against the wall and then slid down to the floor. He wheezed and puffed for a few minutes, and once he got his breath back, the embarrassment hit him like a lorry. He’d just kissed the weird quiet kid... 

Covering his face with his arms, he let out an agonized groan, wishing the floor would just swallow him whole. How would he ever be able to go back to his dorm? Yuri’s confused and alarmed expression seemed to be burned in his mind, and Graham felt completely humiliated. Why had he done that? Why had he kissed that skinny little nobody? He wasn’t even gay!

Graham took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes closed. He thought of Yuri’s sweet smile, and his gentle blue eyes, and felt his heart flutter. He wasn’t gay...**no** he wasn’t. Again he thought of Yuri and his chest felt tight and the memory of that smile haunted him. 

Graham frowned. He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t gay...was he? Didn’t he like girls? Graham thought of the pretty Sheena, and the cute Black Sheep, but the same feelings just weren’t there. He liked the girls, but they didn’t make him feel the same way. Their smiles didn’t take his breath away, or leave him feeling awkward and confused. Graham let out another deep groan and closed his eyes. He had a crush on the weird quiet kid. The rest of his friends were **never** going to let him live this down.

Graham sat there in the hallway for what felt like eternity, not wanting to face returning to the dorm. How would he ever be able to look at Yuri again? He’s made a complete fool of himself. He sat there in silence until he heard footsteps approaching him. Glancing up, he saw Neal standing over him and Graham immediately let out a deep sigh of misery.

“Go ahead,” Graham said in defeat, “Do whatever it is you’re planning to do and then please go away.”

Neal raised a brow. “Who, me? Why do you think I would ever do anything to you?”

“I deserve it,” Graham responded, once again covering his head with his arms, “I know why you’ve been targeting me, and I deserve it.”

Neal rolled his eyes. About time the dumb little Aussie figured it out. He knelt down next to Graham, but didn’t lay a hand on him.

“Oh?” he questioned, “Tell me why you think I’ve been picking on you.”

“You’re targeting me because I've been bullying the weird quiet kid.”

“You don’t even know his name, do you?” Neal asked in surprise.

Graham mutely shook his head. “Is he your brother or something?”

“Naw, we’re not related.”

Graham hesitated and then asked, “...are you dating him?”

Neal let out a snort of amusement. “He’s a little young for me, don’t you think, love? I’m nearly thirty.”

Graham rested his chin on his knees and simply stared at Neal, trying to figure him out. If the older man wasn’t related to Yuri and he wasn’t dating him, then why was he so invested in him?

“So why are you sitting here looking all sad, wombat?” Neal questioned, “Guilty conscience?”

There was no way Graham was ever admitting to kissing Yuri and he scowled. “Go away!” he hissed at the other man.

Neal cocked his head. “Touched a nerve, did I?” he asked, “Leave the cute little redhead alone and we won’t have any issues.”

“Don’t call him cute!” Graham snarled with a lot more venom than intended.

Neal’s eyes widened and then he slowly put two and two together and his expression settled into a smirk. “Any particular reason why?” he questioned teasingly, “Is it because **you** think he’s cute?”

“Because it’s **disgusting** !” Graham snarled, “ **You’re** disgusting!”

Neal’s expression instantly hardened and he abruptly stood up. “There’s definitely something disgusting here, but it’s **not** what **I** said.”

Graham said nothing and averted his gaze. 

“I was almost starting to feel sorry for you, kid, but now I see you deserved every bit of it. If you or your little minions touch the ginger again, I **will** make your lives miserable.”

Without another word, Neal walked away, leaving Graham to stare after him miserably. Once he was gone, Graham let out another groan and clapped his hands to his face. Great, now he looked like a homophobe. 

Graham ran a hand through his hair and thought of everything that had happened in the school year. He thought of the cockiness, the bullying, the stupid stunts, the laziness when it came to homework, and now the homophobia. Was this really how he wanted to be seen? Was this who he wanted to be as a person?

Graham had wanted to be popular and loved, but he didn’t like what he was turning into. Gone was the happy boy who loved animals and spending all day in the wilderness, and now all that was left was a bitter and pathetic bully.

Graham thought of Yuri’s little egg and felt horrible over everything he’d done. The other boy was clearly gentle and compassionate, but Graham hadn’t been able to see it. All he’d seen was how he was different from the other students. Yuri couldn’t help how he was, and Graham hated himself for treating him that way.

Graham clenched his fists, and looked up. He had to make this right. Thinking of the kiss, his cheeks flushed, but he pushed aside his embarrassment, knowing Yuri deserved a real apology. It was getting late and he knew the others were likely back in the dorm by now. He knew he shouldn’t let the awkwardness of that kiss grow by not dealing with it, and so he slowly got back to his feet. He would talk to Yuri and make things right.

Graham trudged slowly in the direction of the dorms, knowing this was likely going to be the most humiliating moment in his life. When he reached the dorm, he saw everyone was inside chatting and laughing and he steeled himself as he entered.

“There you are!” Black Sheep exclaimed, “Where have you been?”

Jean Paul let out a scoff. “He probably got detention again.”

Antonio gave him a questioning look. “Is that what happened, mi amigo?”

Graham hesitated. “Um...yeah, I was in detention.”

Sheena rolled her eyes. “What’d you do this time?” she demanded, “Steal from the kitchens again?”

“Er...no, I was running through the hall and crashed into Couch Brunt,” Graham lied.

Black Sheep winced in sympathy. “Did she make you run the track?”

“No, just write lines.”

Black Sheep frowned. “Huh, that doesn’t sound very much like Coach Brunt! She must have been busy with something else.”

Graham decided to change the subject before his lie was found out. “Hey, is the weird kid in here?”

Jean Paul wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, why?”

“I don’t know,” Black Sheep answered, “I haven’t seen him.”

“I just had something to say to him,” Graham explained, turning his gaze to the tent.

“Why? Did he do something to you?” Sheena demanded, looking ready for a fight.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Graham answered, crossing the room.

Reaching out, he parted the blankets and then peered inside the tent. Yuri was sound asleep and curled up on his side, a baby bird in the palm of his hand.

Graham felt a surge of excitement at the sight of it, but the bird appeared to be asleep as well and Graham quickly backed away not wanting to wake either of them. Turning around, he crossed the room back to the others.

“He’s not there?” Black Sheep asked in concern, “It’s almost curfew!”

“He’s asleep,” Graham responded with a shrug.

“What did you need from him?” Sheena asked, clearly just being nosy.

“Doesn’t matter,” Graham said, knowing it was probably better if he made his apology in private, “Anyone want to play cards with me?”

“I will, mi amigo,” Antonio answered.

As Graham grabbed his deck of cards from his bedside table, he gave one more glance towards the tent. He then turned away and headed back for the others.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yuri awoke his usual time before five, and he immediately looked down at the baby bird in the palm of his hand. It began to peep hungrily and he shot a nervous glance across the room, hoping the bird wouldn’t wake anyone. He had no idea what the bird was, but he could tell by looking at it that it wasn’t a hummingbird. Although a bit disappointed over that, he was still instantly attached to the little helpless baby. By its tiny curved beak, he assumed it was some sort of parrot, and the bird had accepted the fruit he'd offered it the night before. Reaching over, he picked up the mango he’d peeled the night before and picked a tiny little piece off it. When he offered it to the bird, it eagerly took it and then peeped again. He continued feeding it little bits of various fruit until it settled down to go back to sleep.

Yuri picked up the shoebox and very **very** carefully placed the bird inside it. Closing the lid, he slid the box under his bed and knew he'd have to feed it between every class, and try to keep it as quiet as possible.

Getting up, he quietly grabbed his clean clothes and toiletries and then tiptoed past his sleeping dormmates. He took the fastest shower he could, and then hurried back to the dorm, intending on locking the bird in his locker between classes where it would be safe. 

When he got back to the room, to his horror he saw Graham was no longer in bed. Feeling complete panic come over him, he ran for his tent and sure enough Graham was in there, shoebox in hand. Without even thinking about it, Yuri hauled off and smacked Graham hard in the shoulder, catching the other boy off guard.

“Bloody hell!” Graham hissed in pain, clapping a hand to his shoulder in surprise.

Yuri snatched the shoebox away from him and then backed away a few steps warily, wrapping his arms around the box protectively.

“I wasn’t going to hurt it!” Graham whispered quietly, “I just wanted to see!”

Yuri narrowed his eyes.

“Look, I woke up early because I wanted to talk to you…” Graham said, feeling completely awkward.

Yuri looked incredibly suspicious and Graham knew he couldn’t blame him for that. He took a seat on the bed to seem less threatening, and then hesitated, suddenly feeling awkward and nervous.

“Look...um...about everything that’s happened…”

Yuri frowned at him.

“Can you maybe sit down so we can talk about this?”

Yuri clutched the shoebox to his chest tightly and hesitantly took a seat on the bed as far away from Graham as he could. Graham was actually a little surprised, but then he grew awkward when Yuri gave him an expectant look.

“Um…” Graham said, “Look mate, the other day when we hit you...I didn’t mean to actually hurt you.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing him.

“I know this sounds stupid, but I didn’t know how much getting hit by those bamboo sticks would hurt. I thought it would sting a bit, but I never meant to actually make you bleed and get bruised up.”

Yuri still looked skeptical.

“What I’m trying to say is...I’m sorry. I’m not a bad person, but I’ve been acting like it. I’ve been bullying you since the first day, and I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I’ve been doing it...I guess I just wanted people to like me and to fit in.”

Yuri gently set the shoebox down beside him, and simply stared at Graham, his gaze guarded but curious. Graham quickly averted his eyes and focused on his hands which were clenched in his lap nervously.

“I...I was never the most popular kid in school,” Graham admitted, “I was the weird kid who was always awkward, who was a little bit too interested in lizards and bugs, and the one who wore hand-me-down clothes. The other boys wanted to play sports, but I just wanted to explore the wilderness and see the animals. The girls thought I was gross but I was in denial about it. When I arrived here, I decided I would be different, and that I would **finally** fit in.”

Yuri couldn’t picture the handsome and confident Graham ever being unpopular and he frowned, feeling like this was some sort of trick.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole to you,” Graham said, his expression looking genuine, “I promise I’ll stop picking on you. You’re different from all the other students, and you really stand out.”

Yuri tensed up and instantly hunched in on himself.

“No, no!” Graham quickly assured him, “I don’t mean it like that! Everyone else in the academy are a bunch of selfish assholes, but you’re nothing like them. You don’t put others down just to build yourself up, and you’re clearly a lot more compassionate than them.”

Yuri glanced down at the shoebox with a frown.

“I like the others, but they’re criminals and I know they can never be fully trusted. I want to start over with you.”

Yuri slowly shook his head.

Graham extended his hand. “Will you please be my friend?”

Yuri didn’t move and Graham felt the rejection like a slap to the face. Curling his fingers into a fist, he withdrew his hand and then gave a nod.

“I’m sorry, and I promise I’ll prove myself to you. I’m going to make everything up to you, and prove I’m not a horrible person.”

Graham slowly stood up from the bed and looked down at the other boy. Yuri seemed confused and wary and Graham couldn’t blame him. To the other boy it must have seemed like a trick. As he continued staring, Yuri slowly reached over and picked up his paper Ghost mask. He silently put it on and then looked up at Graham, his face now hidden.

“I’ll make the others leave you alone,” Graham promised him, “I really am sorry.”

Graham left the tent and Ghost watched him go, feeling glad he could hide behind his mask. Neither of them noticed Black Sheep watching them from the other side of the room. She gave Graham a surprised look and then felt absolutely terrible as she realized what Graham had said was true.

Ghost checked on the little bird one last time, and then grabbed his homework and hurried from the room. Graham watched him go and then grabbed his clothes so he could go grab a shower. He didn’t see the other boy until Shadowsan’s class, and he could seem to look away from him. 

Even after getting whacked across the back of the head three times from Shadowsan, he still couldn’t look away. Finally Shadowsan had left him alone, too exasperated to continue dealing with him. Graham had no idea how he was going to make things right and wished there was someone he could ask for advice. He thought of Neal but quickly dismissed the idea, having a feeling he was once again on the other man's shitlist.

When Shadowsan’s class ended, they began trudging their way through the hall and he lost sight of the other boy in the crowd. To his surprise, he wasn’t there when he reached the next class.

Ghost was walking with the other students when someone suddenly pulled him into another hallway. Looking up, he was surprised to see Dash Haber tugging him along through the hallway. Ghost knew he couldn’t be harmed as a ghost, and so he allowed himself to be pulled away without protest.

“I’ll give you a note for class,” Dash stated, “I doubt Brunt will read it anyway.”

Ghost was taken to a part of the academy he’d never been in before, and when Dash finally let go of his wrist, they were at a room that simply said ‘Designs’ on the door.

“Wait here for a second,” Dash ordered, “Don’t go anywhere.”

Ghost was left standing in the hallway as Dash disappeared into the room and he simply waited, having no idea why he was there. A minute or so later Dash gave out holding a bag. 

“Here’s a note excusing your tardiness,” Dash informed him, handing over a piece of paper.

Without another word, Dash reached out and snatched the mask from the boy’s face who immediately flinched.

“Now let’s finally get rid of this ugly thing,” he stated, reaching into the bag.

Suddenly Dash was tackled from the side and he let out a startled squawk as he hit the floor hard. Yuri stared with wide eyes as he watched Neal hit Dash several times before the other man even had time to react. Neal then looked down at who he had attacked and he froze when he noticed Dash was not dressed as a student.

“Wait a second...**you’re** not a student!” he exclaimed.

Dash kicked Neal solidly in the stomach. “No shit!” he snarled, wiping the blood from his nose, “What the hell is your problem you greasy abomination?! Who even are you?!”

Neal narrowed his eyes and pinned Dash to the floor by the shoulders. Dash let out a gasp of surprise and simply stared up at Neal in disbelief.

“Why are you bullying a student?” Neal demanded angrily, “You think it’s funny to pick on someone smaller than you? What if I start bullying **you**, fancypants?!”

“Bullying?! What are you talking about! I'm not bullying **anyone**!” Dash snarled, “Get your greasy hands off me!”

“Nice try! I just saw you pull him away from everyone else and rip his mask off!”

Dash couldn’t believe what was happening and he struggled uselessly. “I was giving him a new one!” he bellowed out.

Neal gave him a skeptical look, and then his gaze went to the bag Dash had dropped. He could see colourful fabric poking out and he frowned.

“Why would you be giving him a new mask?”

“GET OFF ME!” Dash yelled, trying unsuccessfully to break Neal’s hold. 

Neal glanced over at Yuri who was watching the whole thing with wide eyes.

“Is this creep bothering you?” he asked in concern.

Yuri immediately shook his head no.

“Creep? **Creep** ?!” Dash snarled, “You’re calling **me** a creep when you look like something that crawled out of a bog?!”

Neal frowned down at Dash and slowly looked him up and down. He’d never seen the pretty man at the academy before and had no idea who he was.

“Who are you?” he demanded, “Are you an operative?”

“I'm Dash Haber, you disgusting, oily pit-stain! Now get off of me, or I **swear** I will **end** you!”

Neal got a sudden look of realization on his face. “Ohhhhh, you're that new gay designer guy that works for Countess Cleo!”

Dash’s face flushed. 

“What were you doing with the little ginger?” Neal demanded, “It’s not time for costume design!”

“I saw his shitty ghost mask and was trying to be nice!” Dash snarled, “I made him a better one!”

“...oh.”

Neal finally released him and then held a hand down to help him to his feet. “Oh, sorry about that, love, it was an honest mistake!”

Dash slapped his hand away, and got back to his feet, raising a hand to touch his bruised face. He then stared at Neal with narrowed eyes.

“And what kind of abhorrent monstrosity are **you**?” he demanded, “Are you an operative?! What is your codename?” 

Neal was instantly giving him a charming smile. “Name’s Neal the Eel!” he informed him proudly, “Graduate of 2006!”

Dash’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “I will be informing the countess about this!” he vowed, “I will make it my personal mission to make sure you get the shittiest missions for the rest of your life!”

Neal rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, love.”

Dash let out a furious huff and then knelt down to pick up the bag. He shoved the bag into Yuri’s hands and then turned to leave.

“If any of those don’t fit properly, come find me.”

Dash then stormed off and Neal suspected he was running off to tattle. He smirked and then looked down at Yuri who was shooting him a wary look.

“Oops,” Neal said with a laugh, “Sorry for beating up your friend, love, I thought he was another bully. I can’t stand bullies.”

Neal patted Yuri on top of the head and then walked off down the hall, whistling as he did so. Yuri blinked a few times and then glanced down at the bag in his hand. Reaching inside he pulled out a whole handful of different masks. He stared at each one in turn, shocked at how perfect they were. So many faces to choose from…

Yuri had no idea which one was right for him and he felt certain he’d finally be able to discover who he was meant to be. Admiring the Lucha Libre mask, he remembered that Brunt was teaching them wrestling that day. Yuri was skinny and weak and he knew he didn’t stand a chance against the other students.

Running his fingers over the beautiful black and silver sequins of the mask, he slipped it on and he was immediately filled with an overwhelming confidence. Pájaro Sombra knew how to wrestle, and he was the strongest and the bravest fighter in his entire class. Pájaro Sombra felt like he was untouchable, and Yuri was no more. Heading towards Brunt’s class, Pájaro Sombra hoped he’d still be able to get in a few fights before the class ended.

When he stepped into the class, everyone went silent and stared at him in surprise.

“Oh for the love of-” Brunt muttered when she saw him, “Sweetpea, what are you doing now?”

Pájaro Sombra handed her the note and she glanced at it briefly before rolling her eyes and tossing it aside.

“So the designer took a liking to you, did he?” she questioned, “At least this mask is a little better than your old one. Do you think you can fight in that mask?”

Pájaro Sombra’s chest puffed out confidently, and Brunt rolled her eyes.

“Alright, El Stupido, get in the ring and let’s see what you can do.” 

Pájaro Sombra nodded and stepped into the makeshift ring Brunt had set up.

“Who wants to fight our little Nacho Libre?” Brunt demanded, turning her gaze to the rest of the class.

Nearly everyone raised their hands.

“Alright, I chooooooose Graham! Get on in there, Sugar!”

Graham smiled and knew this was his chance to go easy on the other boy and hopefully earn some brownie points.

“I like your mask,” Graham whispered to him.

Pájaro Sombra said nothing.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you,” Graham promised, “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Pájaro Sombra narrowed his eyes at the insult. He didn’t need anyone going easy on him!

“Alright you two, begin!” Brunt ordered.

“Okay, I’m going to grab you, okay?” Graham whispered, “We gotta make this look real.”

Pájaro Sombra's response was to immediately slam Graham to the ground without mercy. Graham’s breath was knocked out of him and before he had a chance to recover, Pájaro Sombra was on top of him and holding him in a chokehold.

“Gah!” Graham gasped out in surprise.

“Come on, Graham, break the hold!” Brunt encouraged, “Use the techniques we learned in class yesterday.”

Graham reached up, grabbed Pájaro Sombra by the back of the shirt and then tossed him over his head, the other boy hitting the floor in a heap. Graham wheezed for a moment and then rushed over to check on him.

“Sorry, are you okay?” he demanded.

Pájaro Sombra lashed out at him and once again he had Graham pinned to the floor. This time Pájaro Sombra bent Graham’s legs as he placed him in a chokehold, and Graham couldn’t move a muscle. Having no choice, Graham tapped out.

Pájaro Sombra was honorable and he released Graham without hesitation.

“Good work, Mysterio,” Brunt complimented, “Graham, you need to work on your technique.”

Graham was surprised he’d lost so spectacularly and he was honestly rather embarrassed. He rolled back to his feet as his friends laughed and teased him and turned towards Pájaro Sombra.

“I went easy on you this time,” Graham lied, “You fought really well!”

Pájaro Sombra crossed his arms.

“Alright, next we’ll have Black Sheep and-”

Pájaro Sombra tugged on her sleeve.

“What is it, Sweetpea?”

He pointed to Black Sheep and didn’t move out of the ring. Brunt raised a brow.

“You want to go for another round?”

Pájaro Sombra gave an emphatic nod.

Brunt shrugged, and turned to Black Sheep. “Alright, Lambkins, looks like you’re fighting our mysterious masked marauder.”

Black Sheep nodded eagerly and stepped forward.

“Begin!”

Pájaro Sombra lunged for her without hesitation, but Black Sheep was much faster than Graham and she dodged out of his way. In an instant Black Sheep was behind him and she seized him in a reverse chokehold.

“That move is called a Reverse Naked Chokehold!” Brunt announced to the rest of the class, “See how her hand is against the side of his head while her arm cuts off his oxygen? This is a very difficult chokehold to break.”

Pájaro Sombra struggled and lashed back with his elbows but he couldn’t seem to get a good hit in on her. He couldn’t breathe, and the whole class watched as Black Sheep tightened her hold.

“If Black Sheep were a boy, this would be easy to escape,” Brunt stated, approaching, “If a man ever has you in a hold like this you reach back, grab what you can and twist with all your might.”

Every boy in the class immediately flinched and Brunt let out a laugh. 

“The only thing our masked crusader can do is hope to get an elbow to her stomach or perhaps break her hold.”

Pájaro Sombra heard what she said and took action. He threw all of his weight backwards and it took Black Sheep by surprise. They hit the floor and Black Sheep reflexively released him to break her fall. Pájaro Sombra was on her in an instant, and he used his weight to hold her down. Unfortunately his weight wasn’t enough and Black Sheep kicked him off over her head and he hit the floor hard and painfully.

“Nice work, Lamb!” Brunt called over, “Show him who’s boss!”

Pájaro Sombra rolled to his knees and he jumped back just as Black Sheep made another grab for him. Falling against the ropes, he kicked out at Black Sheep’s legs and she stumbled, giving him time to once again lunge at her. She was still much too fast for him, and she knocked him flat on his face. This time when she put him into a chokehold, he couldn’t break it. Refusing to give in, he struggled and fought with everything he had, but he couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t move.

“Tap out, Sweetpea,” Brunt instructed, “You lost this round.”

Pájaro Sombra refused and he struggled harder. Black Sheep turned worried eyes to Brunt who frowned at Pájaro Sombra, unused to this stubborn attitude he was suddenly displaying.

“Know when you’ve lost,” Brunt informed him, “Sometimes you have to take the loss so you can live to fight another day.”

Pájaro Sombra’s vision was starting to darken around the edges, and he felt frustrated. 

“Tap out or Black Sheep will never let you go,” Brunt threatened.

Pájaro Sombra scowled up at her, and she could see the look in his eyes.

“Fine, have it your way, Sweetpea, but waking up from this is not going to be pleasant.”

Black Sheep suddenly released him and Pájaro Sombra sucked in a deep breath, and clutched at his throat as he fought for air.

“I won,” Black Sheep announced, leaving the ring.

Pájaro Sombra stared after her and refused to admit defeat. He hadn’t tapped out, and since she left the match, that meant she forfeited. He won by default.

Pájaro Sombra nodded and got to his feet proudly. Yes, he was undefeated. Brunt frowned at Black Sheep, not liking how she’d shown mercy during her fight. This was a trait that was dangerous on the field, and they’d have to make sure they squashed any mercy out of her before she graduated.

“Go back with the others,” Brunt ordered.

Pájaro Sombra shook his head.

Brunt raised a brow. “You want a third round?” she demanded incredulously.

Pájaro Sombra nodded.

“Nope,” Brunt denied, “No more turns for you today. It’s someone else’s turn to fight.”

She gave him a not-so-gentle shove out of the ring, and Pájaro Sombra was forced to go stand with the other spectators as two new fighters were selected.

“You did really well!” Black Sheep complimented him.

Pájaro Sombra didn’t even look at her.

“Too bad he’s such a freak,” Sheena commented.

“Don’t call him that!” Graham defended.

Everyone, Pájaro Sombra included, turned to look at him in surprise.

Graham’s face immediately coloured.

“I think we should leave him alone from now on,” Graham told the others.

“Ugh, why?” Jean Paul demanded, shooting Pájaro Sombra a disgusted look.

“We’ve all been kinda mean to him all year, and I think it’s time for us to grow up and stop picking on him.”

“He doesn’t even belong here,” Jean Paul snapped, “He’s going to fail anyway.”

“Then that’s none of our concern,” Graham pointed out, “If he fails, then he fails, if not then he graduates. That has nothing to do with us. Only the head faculty decide who becomes an operative.”

Jean Paul squinted at him for a moment, but Antonio placed a hand on his shoulder and then smiled at Graham.

“Si, you are correct,” he agreed, “I don’t think it’s any of our concern either.”

Jean Paul liked picking on the weird quiet kid and he didn't appreciate how everyone was all of a sudden defending the other boy. He crossed his arms and scowled at Pájaro Sombra. Sheena rolled her eyes, and scoffed.

“Oh, whatever,” she commented.

Pájaro Sombra stared at Graham in surprise, not expecting the other boy to actually follow through on his word. He gave him a thoughtful look and then turned his attention back to the fight. Maybe there was more to Graham after all?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**All gorgeous artwork is by the very talented Coulrosaurus! <3**


	7. The Exams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graham was just accepted into V.I.L.E academy and he's determined to make a name for himself no matter what. He uses his charming smile and good looks to manipulate everyone around him, and he plans to use his new friends to elevate himself above everyone else. He finds himself getting attached to his friends, and things begin to change for him.
> 
> Why can't he stop looking at that weird, quiet kid? Everywhere he goes, he finds himself staring at him, and so naturally Graham begins to bully him. He's a nobody, just a loser, but why can't he get the boy's sweet and gentle blue eyes out of his mind? He feels like he's going crazy, and he doesn't even know the boy's name.
> 
> Eventual CrackleBomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay is getting this chapter posted. I've had no motivation to do anything lately. I hope you like enjoy the chapter, and I'll do my best to get the next one out a bit faster!
> 
> This story is not in any way related to The Team Red Family series. This is a completely different AU. Although I kept backstories very similar to Broken, this is a standalone story. This is a CrackleBomb that is likely going to be 7-8 parts.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Silent Sparks**

**Chapter 7**

**The Exams**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

  
  
  


Yuri sat inside his tent patiently feeding the little bird. It was only a few days old, but it was already getting bigger and stronger. It ate everything he gave it, but it seemed to like sunflower seeds best of all. He’d been thinking of names for the bird all morning, but nothing seemed to feel right. It deserved a good name and so he was going to put some more consideration into it during morning classes.

The Pájaro Sombra mask rested on the bed beside him, and he stared down at it thoughtfully. He liked the confidence he felt wearing that mask, but the stubbornness and pride was far too dangerous. He could get himself or someone else seriously injured if he was unwilling to ever admit defeat. Sometimes the smartest course of action was to simply run away and live to see another day. He would have to choose a new mask; Pájaro Sombra was **not **for him.

Setting the sleeping bird back in the shoebox, Yuri glanced to the other masks Dash had made for him. Dash had done an excellent job and had done his best to create all of Yuri’s designs.

Yuri inspected the masks thoughtfully, and finally reached out a hand towards one. Perhaps **this** mask would reveal who he was meant to be? Pulling it on over his head, he stood up and glanced in his mirror.

The mask was twisted and yellow, like the skin of an ancient man, and he knew he had existed for eons and through many lifetimes. The man that looked back at him was wise beyond any other person, and he could always plan a way out of any situation. He was The Scholar and although physically feeble, he had a mind that could outshine anyone.

Looking down at the little bird, he gave it an affectionate stroke on the head and then put the lid on the shoebox. Placing the box in his locker and locking it, he grabbed his schoolbooks and then left his tent. He wasn’t expecting Black Sheep to be standing there and he instinctively jumped back and dropped his books in surprise.

“Sorry!” Black Sheep exclaimed, kneeling down to pick up his books, “I didn’t mean to startle you!”

The Scholar stared at her warily as she held out his books, and he hesitantly reached out to take them.

“That’s a really cool mask!” Black Sheep exclaimed, “You look like you’re a hundred years old!”

The Scholar scoffed. He was **far** older than a mere one hundred years, and Black Sheep was nothing but a child compared to him.

“I really like all the different costumes you’ve been trying out!” she told him, “I’ve never seen anyone test out different personas like this before! I’m excited to see what you finally settle on!”

The Scholar simply stared at her.

“I already have my codename, but I haven’t designed my costume yet,” she continued, offering him a gentle smile, “I have no idea what to do. I’m thinking of a mask with horns, but I’m not sure.”

The Scholar gave no reaction and Black Sheep’s expression turned troubled. “I...I wanted to talk to you…” she said hesitantly, “I heard what Gray said to you yesterday…”

When The Scholar still gave no reaction, she continued.

“I didn’t realize everyone was bullying you and I’m sorry,” she said, her voice genuine, “They had no right to beat you or say those mean things and I’m sorry I didn’t stop it. I thought they were just teasing you a bit, and I think you have a right to hate us. I won’t try to justify it, but you have my word that I won’t let them bother you anymore.”

The Scholar gave her a skeptical look.

“I’m glad Gray apologized on his own, and I’m going to speak with the others and tell them to knock it off. You did extremely well in Brunt’s class yesterday and I think you’re going to do well in V.I.L.E. I think people are underestimating you and you’re going to take them by surprise.”

The Scholar cocked his head at her thoughtfully. Black Sheep had never really bullied him like the others had, she’d just followed their lead like...well, a sheep. She was younger than them by a few years, and he knew she was likely just trying to impress the older students. She didn’t seem like an awful person, but her desperate need to please could be a serious problem. She needed to start thinking for herself instead of listening to others.

“Friends?” Black Sheep asked, offering out her hand.

The Scholar had no interest in being friends with a child, but he knew it was likely in his best interests not to antagonize her. He stared long and hard at the outstretched hand and then hesitantly accepted it. Black Sheep beamed up at him happily, and she was clearly relieved.

“I’ve never heard you speak,” she commented, “What’s your name? Even the head faculty don’t use your name!”

The Scholar stared at her and it was then that the bell rang for first period.

“We’re late!” Black Sheep cried out in horror, “Shadowsan is going to kill us! I made you late, I’m so sorry!”

Before The Scholar had a chance to react, she took him by the hand and began running in the direction of class.

“Come on, we need to hurry!” 

The Scholar was too old for this treatment and he knew his feeble bones would probably be aching from this later. He was dragged through the hallways and when they reached Instructor Shadowsan’s class, she hesitated. She slid open the door and saw everyone was working on the written exam for the term.

Shadowsan glanced to the door and then narrowed his eyes at the sight of them.

“I’m so sorry, Shadowsan,” Black Sheep apologized, bowing respectfully, “The fault is mine that we’re late. I delayed us, and I’m sorry. It will not happen again.”

Shadowsan glanced to The Scholar and he frowned, wondering exactly what had happened. Was Black Sheep still bullying the boy?

“**You**, take your seat and get started on the test,” he said to The Scholar, and to Black Sheep he said, “You will stand on one foot in the corner of the room until I say otherwise.”

Black Sheep nodded. “Yes, Shadowsan,” she said, hurrying to do as she was told.

The Scholar walked slowly and carefully towards his spot, knowing he was far too old for this nonsense. He could have dislocated a hip or broken something and he had to be careful.

Shadowsan saw the slow and careful way The Scholar was moving and was instantly concerned. He was clearly injured and he hoped it wasn’t anything serious. If he was still showing signs of distress at lunch, he’d send him back to the medical wing to be examined.

The Scholar managed to sit after cautiously lowering himself down, and his gaze immediately went to the exam. Flipping the thick test over, he knew this was exactly the type of thing he was made for. He had the knowledge of hundreds of lifetimes and this test would be simple. Showing his confidence, he picked up a pen and ignored the pencil.

Concentrating on remembering everything about the class, he began to write.

Black Sheep was made to stand in the corner for twenty minutes before Shadowsan finally allowed her to take her seat to get started on her exam.

“You have until the end of class to finish like everyone else,” Shadowsan informed her, “You only have yourself to blame for your late start. Anyone who fails may very well find themselves out of this academy.”

“Yes, Shadowsan,” Black Sheep said respectfully, “I’ll do my best.”

Black Sheep hurried for her seat and grabbed at the test, knowing she had to at least score a passing grade. 

The Scholar answered each and every question, feeling certain he knew all the answers. He was so old and so experienced, that he probably could teach the class, but he would never say so. The Scholar was smart, but he was also humble and respectful. He would simply score well on his test, and then move on with his life. An hour into class, he finished the last question and flipped his exam back over. He sat there for about five minutes before Shadowsan noticed and approached him.

“Do not give up so easily,” Shadowsan advised, “Just do the best you can and use the time you were given.”

The Scholar simply stared at him and didn’t move.

Shadowsan furrowed his brow. “A good thief doesn’t give up so easily. Pick up your pencil and keep trying.”

When The Scholar still didn’t move, Jean Paul let out a snort. Shadowsan frowned and then turned away. 

“Very well, the decision is yours.”

Graham glanced over at him and stared at the wrinkled mask thoughtfully. It was an incredibly creepy mask in his opinion, and he didn’t like this one at all.

“Come on, mate,” he whispered, “Just write any old thing and maybe you’ll get lucky! That’s what I’m doing for all the questions I don’t know.”

“And I’m sure your grade will reflect that,” Shadowsan responded, “No speaking during the exam.”

Graham went quiet and turned his attention back to his own exam. By the time the bell rang, he’d filled in every question but knew a lot were wrong. Hoping it would be enough for a pass, he flipped his exam over, and got up to follow his classmates out of the room.

Once everyone was gone, Shadowsan headed for The Scholar’s exam and picked it up. He flipped through several pages and then glanced towards the door. This was very unexpected…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Scholar had to walk incredibly slowly because of his age and he barely made it to Brunt’s class before the bell rang after he fed the bird and made his way back through the halls. When Brunt observed how carefully he was moving, she frowned and approached.

“Sore from all the wrestling yesterday, Sweetpea?” she asked him.

Brunt wasn’t actually expecting a response and she took one of his arms and lifted it up to test his range of motion.

“Hmm, you don’t feel stiff…” she commented, “Do you think you can fight?”

The Scholar immediately shook his head. He was far too old to be exercising alongside youngsters, and he’d end up seriously hurt.

“Alright, Sweetpea, but just this once. Tomorrow is your exam and so you’d better make sure you ice those sore muscles after class.”

The Scholar took a seat on one of the benches to the side of the room and spent the entire class simply lost in thought. He found himself watching Graham train, and more than once the other boy caught him staring. Graham seemed to take it as a challenge and began showing off, trying to prove how strong he was. He ended up getting beaten to a pulp by Antonio, and The Scholar found it incredibly amusing. Antonio was incredibly apologetic after the fight was over, and Graham assured him it was fine before approaching the fountain to wash the blood from his face.

The fountain was right beside where The Scholar was sitting and Graham offered him a smile. 

“That one is a bit creepy,” Graham informed him, indicating the mask, “How many of those masks do you have?”

The Scholar found it rude to make comments about his personal appearance, and he glared silently at the other boy.

“Are you okay?” Graham asked him, “Should you go to the medical bay?”

There was nothing the doctor could do about aging and so The Scholar shook his head. Graham washed the blood from his hands, and he continued smiling at him.

“Maybe after classes end today, I can help you study Shadowsan’s course? I saw you were having a bit of trouble and I don’t mind tutoring you a bit,” he offered, “I want to make up for being a twat, and I just want to be friends.”

The Scholar didn’t trust him one bit and simply shook his head.

“Oh… well maybe-”

“Graham, this isn’t a social call, get back to training!” Brunt scolded.

Graham gave one more glance to The Scholar and then jogged back over to fight his next opponent. 

They also had written exams in Cleo’s class, Bellum’s class and Maelstrom’s class and The Scholar felt like he was in his element. His classmates seemed to be mentally exhausted by the end of the final exam, but The Scholar felt invigorated. Exams were easy and much easier than Brunt’s class. He trailed along behind his roommates as they headed back for their dorm, everyone complaining about having to do four exams in one day. Everyone was tired and The Scholar knew he should probably rest as well. He was old and needed to keep up his strength.

He crawled inside his tent and opened his locker to check on the bird. He removed his mask and set it aside beside his schoolbooks and pulled out the shoebox. The bird peeped the second he removed the lid from the shoebox, and so he pulled out the fruit and seeds he had saved for it. Just as he was feeding it a piece of a nut, Graham poked his head into the tent.

“Can I see?” he asked.

Yuri clutched the box tightly against his chest and narrowed his eyes.

“I promise I won’t hurt it,” Graham assured him, “I just want to see.”

Eyeing the other boy somewhat suspiciously, Yuri gave him a slight nod and Graham smiled at him wide. That smile made him a bit uneasy, but he still lowered the box so Graham could see.

“Any idea what kind of bird it is?” 

Yuri shook his head.

“It looks a little like a Budgie Bird to me,” Graham observed, “We have those all over the place in Australia. Cute little things but noisy.”

Yuri cocked his head. A budgie? Could his little bird be a budgie?

“Can I feed it?”

Yuri gave him an alarmed look and Graham held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

“It’s really cute and I want to help you. I have so much to make up for, and I want to prove that I’m not a bad person.”

Yuri stared at him long and hard and then held out a piece of banana towards him. He watched Graham like a hawk as he held the fruit down, and to his amusement the little bird missed the piece of banana and instead bit Graham on the finger.

“Ouch!” Graham yelped, yanking his hand back, “It bit me!”

Graham’s expression was so hurt and scandalized that Yuri couldn’t help it and he let out a short laugh. He then immediately clapped a hand over his mouth as Graham stared at him with wide eyes.

Graham then gave him a wide smile. “Well now!” he exclaimed, “You **do** have a voice!”

Yuri flushed scarlet and Graham knew teasing probably wasn’t a good idea.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he told him, “I was just glad to finally hear a noise from you. I hope when you become more comfortable with me, you might tell me your name.”

Yuri averted his eyes and Graham nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m still in the doghouse.”

“Gray?” a voice suddenly said, “Are you in here?”

Black sheep popped her head in and Yuri scrambled to hide the bird from view. He wasn’t quite fast enough however and she let out a gasp. 

“You have a bird!”

Yuri shook his head and hid the box behind his back.

Black Sheep gave a glance over her shoulder and then entered the tent and plunked herself down on the bed beside him.

“Let me see!” she begged, “What kind of bird is it? Where did it come from? What did you name it? How old is it?”

Yuri simply stared at her.

“Aw, come on, let me see! I swear I won’t tattle!”

There was a childish enthusiasm in her actions, and Yuri didn’t sense any deceit. Slowly bringing the box out from behind him, he set it on his lap. Black Sheep peered into the box and she smiled.

“It’s so cute!”

“You can’t mention this to anyone!” Graham warned her, “If anyone finds out, they’ll take it away.”

“I give you my word!” Black Sheep promised.

She then looked between Graham and Yuri with a thoughtful look. “Are you friends now?” she asked.

Graham looked over at Yuri who looked away.

“...we’re working on it,” Graham replied, “I was a real jerk, and it will be a while before I can redeem myself.”

“I was pretty awful too…” Black Sheep admitted, “I want us to be friends though.”

There was a minute or so of silence as everyone took turns feeding the bird until it finally went back to sleep.

“I think I’m starting to get hungry too,” Black Sheep commented, “Will you two sit with me for supper?”

Yuri gave her a shocked look and glanced towards the tent door nervously.

“Don’t worry about them,” Black Sheep assured him, “No one will bother you ever again, I promise.”

Black Sheep stood up and held out her hand towards him. Yuri glanced over at Graham and then hesitantly allowed her to help him to his feet. He locked the shoebox back into his locker and then nervously followed Black Sheep out of the tent. He always ate alone, and he had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

“Trust us,” Graham begged, “Just give us a chance.”

Yuri nodded and Graham clapped him hard on the back causing him to give a violent flinch.

“Oh geez, sorry!” Graham said, “I won’t do that again.”

The dorm was empty and Yuri assumed the others were in the cafeteria. Hoping that things would finally get better, he followed them through the halls towards the cafeteria. As soon as they entered, Yuri’s eyes scanned the crowd and fell on their roommates. Sheena was chatting with Jean Paul and was smirking about something or another. She looked like she was bad mouthing someone, and Jean Paul seemed to be listening intently. When they approached the table, Sheena’s gaze turned to them and settled on Yuri.

“Ugh,” she commented, “Why is **that** with you?” 

“He’s our roommate and he should sit with the rest of us,” Black Sheep said firmly.

“I don’t sit with losers,” Sheena replied, smirking over at Jean Paul.

“He’s not welcome here,” Jean Paul stated, narrowing his eyes at Yuri.

“Jean Paul!” Antonio scolded, “Be nice! He can sit here if he wants!”

Yuri hunched his shoulders and turned away. He should have known better than to trust Black Sheep. He was different from everyone else and they would never accept him. To Yuri’s surprise, Graham caught him by the arm and offered him a smile.

“That’s fine,” he said, “We’ll just sit somewhere else.”

“Wait, what?” Sheena said in surprise.

“Why would you two want to sit with a freak like him?” Jean Paul demanded, “You’re better than that!”

“I think he’s incredibly interesting,” Black Sheep defended, “and we’ve been way too mean to him!”

“Yeah, mates, we’ve been downright horrible,” Graham admitted, “We nearly killed him that night when we beat him. Enough is enough.”

“Wait…” Antonio said in confusion, “What beating? What are you talking about?”

They didn’t reply and instead led Yuri to another table far away from the others. Graham went to grab them trays of food and Yuri watched as Black Sheep grabbed them drinks. He observed Graham the whole time he stood in line, but the other boy didn’t tamper with his food and just seemed eager to be nice. Yuri found himself relaxing ever so slightly as Black Sheep and Graham took their seats beside him, and he wondered if maybe they were being genuine.

There was the sound of a clearing throat and they looked up to see Antonio standing there, tray in hand and looking very sheepish,

“May I sit here?” he asked.

Yuri hesitantly nodded and glanced back to the other table where Jean Paul looked completely crushed.

“Sorry, mi amigo,” Antonio said gently, “I had no idea everyone has been hurting you like that. They seemed to think you were responsible for the other dorm attacking me. I set them both straight, and I’m sorry this happened to you. I really like Jean Paul a lot, but I don’t agree with what he’s been doing. I told him I am going to be sitting with you guys from now on.”

Antonio had never bullied him, but he had also never tried to stop it. Yuri didn’t dislike the other boy, and so he was willing to give him a chance and he gave him a nod. He watched as Jean Paul’s expression went through several different emotions before he stood up with his lunch-tray and approached them.

“May I sit here?” he asked, tone not sounding very happy.

“That depends,” Antonio replied haughtily, “This is a table of respect with no bullying. Are you able to do that?”

Jean Paul sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oui. I may not like the mute, but I will keep my comments to myself...for now.”

Antonio then looked to Yuri. “Is it alright if Jean Paul joins us?”

Yuri was rather nervous over this as he knew Jean Paul despised him, but he nodded all the same. He then looked over to where Sheena was sitting all by herself. Her expression was stubborn and she didn’t move, simply eating her supper in silence. 

When they returned to their dorms after supper, Sheena was sulking and refused to speak with anyone. Exhausted from his day, Yuri headed straight for his tent, intending on going to bed.

“Play cards with us, mi amigo?” Antonio invited.

Yuri hesitated and then shook his head, disappearing into his tent.

“He must be tired,” Black Sheep commented.

“Or he’s just an asshole,” Sheena muttered, rolling over in bed to face the wall.

“Sheena…” Black Sheep scolded.

Yuri checked on the bird and then got undressed for bed. Opening his schoolbooks, he studied for a while and tried to ignore the laughter and conversations his roommates were having. It sounded like they were having fun, but he still felt wary and wasn’t quite ready to trust anyone yet. He studied until he grew tired, so he turned off his reading lamp and then fell asleep, feeling oddly hopeful about tomorrow.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yuri awoke at his usual time and immediately checked on the bird. It was awake and hungry and peeped at him desperately. He fed it, and then headed to the showers to take his usual hour long shower. Everyone was still sound asleep when he returned and he took a seat on his bed to choose his mask. The Scholar was nice for written tests, but the physical limitations were a problem. He would never be able to become a V.I.L.E graduate if he was The Scholar.

Yuri looked from one mask to the next and he found his gaze settling on one mask in particular. Picking the mask up, he stared down at it, knowing it was incredibly different from all previous masks. It was a black masquerade mask with incredibly delicate and extravagant adornments. Covered in sparkles, lace and sequins, it was truly beautiful and Yuri knew Dash was a talented designer. 

  


Running his fingers across it, he knew it was far too beautiful for someone like him. No one wanted to see his ugly, patchy skin behind such a pretty mask.

Yuri let out a disappointed sigh and wished there was some way he could make himself good enough. He thought of Dash, and wondered if the pretty man had tried this mask on while designing it. Dash was handsome enough for this mask, and the man’s makeup was always flawless. Yuri’s eyes then widened. Makeup! He could use **makeup**!

Yuri glanced back to the mask and wondered where he could get makeup. If he went back to Dash, would the man lend him some or would he get angry? Dash seemed extremely temperamental, but he’d shown how kind he could be, and Yuri knew it was worth a shot. Although it was extremely early, he had a feeling the other man was already awake since he’d bumped into him before at this time of day.

Picking up the mask like it was made of glass, Yuri slipped out of the tent and made his way for the door. Hurrying down the hallways, he passed by The Cleaners who gave him a long look, but said nothing. They were walking in the same direction as him, but Yuri’s strides were faster, and soon he left them behind.

There was a crack of light underneath the door to the Design room, and Yuri felt relieved. He was nervous over asking, but perhaps Dash would be willing to help him out. Raising a hand to the door, he knocked and then waited. He heard a bit of shuffling from inside and a few moments later the door opened.

Dash stood there, coffee mug in hand and when he saw Yuri, he raised a brow in question.

“Bit early for students to be up,” he commented.

Yuri simply stood there awkwardly, trying to think of what to say. Dash looked him up and down and his gaze fell on the mask.

“Oh, you need an adjustment on the mask?” he guessed.

Yuri shook his head and opened his mouth to explain, but suddenly The Cleaners stopped just behind him and interrupted.

“Dash Haber, The Countess wants you to go to her immediately. She’s had a wardrobe malfunction,” Boris stated.

“She’s incredibly...angry,” Vlad added.

Dash let out a long-suffering sigh and then gave a nod. “I’ll be right there.”

The Cleaners left without another word, and Dash turned his attention back to Yuri. “Here, you might as well come in to wait. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

Yuri was ushered into the design room, and Dash grabbed a sewing kit and then hurried towards the door.

“I’ll be right back,” he called over to Yuri, “Don’t touch anything.”

Dash closed the door after him and Yuri was left alone. He took a seat in one of the chairs near the vanity and glanced down at the mask in his hands. Maybe this was a mistake? Dash was incredibly talented but he wasn’t a miracle worker. There was no way he could ever look good enough to wear this mask.

Yuri glanced around the room at the hundreds of colourful fabrics around him and thought it was beautiful. There were costumes and dresses everywhere he looked, and he felt completely out of place. After twenty minutes of waiting, Yuri became bored and turned his attention to the vanity in front of him. He stared at his bruised and freckled face with a frown, wishing he was nicer to look at. If he looked as nice as Dash, he wouldn’t have been left to rot in foster care all those years. Someone would have adopted him and he would have been happy. He raised a hand to his face and hated everything about his appearance. Once he found the right mask, he’d never have to see himself ever again.

Yuri’s gaze fell on the piles of makeup that surrounded him and he hesitantly reached out for a nearby tube. Whatever it was had a long name that he didn’t recognize and he put it back. Giving a furtive glance to the door, he reached out for something else. The tube looked like some sort of foundation, and he wondered if that would be enough to cover his horrible freckles.

Would Dash mind if he used just a little of his makeup? There seemed to be thousands of tubes and jars of things, and so surely he wouldn't even notice? Yuri could do his own makeup and then he wouldn’t have to bother Dash. Looking over at the door one last time, Yuri opened the foundation and dipped his fingers in. Smearing a large glob all over his face, he was pleased to see his freckles disappear from view. He couldn’t seem to get the foundation to go smooth no matter what he did, and so he figured it probably smoothed out as it dried. Trying out a few different blushes and eyeshadows, he then turned his attention to the large assortment of lipsticks. Choosing a colour he liked, he twisted the tube and then brought it to his lips. That’s when Dash opened the door.

Yuri froze, and Dash hesitated, staring at the boy covered in a hideous assortment of makeup. His gaze fell on the lipstick in Yuri’s hand and his brain finally caught up to him and he realized Yuri had gotten into his makeup.

“MY MAKEUP!!” Dash screeched, “YOU STOLE MY MAKEUP!”

Yuri flinched and dropped the lipstick to the floor.

Dash was unbelievably furious and he stormed over, having every intention of throttling the boy.

“How DARE you!” Dash snarled. “Do you have any idea how expensive this stuff is?!”

As Dash stormed towards him angrily, Yuri recognized the body language and realized he was going to be beaten. Throwing himself backwards as Dash reached him, Yuri hit the floor hard and immediately began scrambling to get away from him. Squeezing himself into the nearest corner, Yuri covered his head with his arms and curled up as small as he could, hoping the beating wouldn’t be too bad. Dash stopped dead in his tracks at Yuri’s over-the-top reaction, and his anger dissolved into confusion.

Yuri was shaking in absolute terror, and Dash now knew for certain that the boy was a victim of horrific physical abuse. This wasn’t a normal reaction to anger, but it was one that Dash recognized. Not even realizing he was doing it, Dash raised a hand to his own face as if feeling a phantom injury from long ago. Dash pushed aside the awful memories that flooded his mind, and took a deep, calming breath. He stared at the boy in the corner, and felt sympathy for him.

Approaching slowly, Dash knelt down beside him, knowing that this situation was going to require a gentle touch.

“I’m sorry I lost my temper,” Dash said softly, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I overreacted and I’m sorry I scared you.”

Yuri didn’t move and Dash knew better than to try to reach out towards him.

“I promise I’m not going to hurt you or touch you at all,” Dash told him gently, “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I wasn’t thinking, and I swear I will not do that again.

Yuri peeked up at him through his arms.

Dash held out his hands to show they were empty. “See? I’m not angry and I’m not going to hurt you.”

Yuri felt completely rotten about stealing the makeup, and he knew he shouldn’t have done it. He wasn’t thinking, and he’d truly believed Dash wouldn’t mind.

Dash held his hands out towards him, but he didn’t touch him. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Yuri wiped aside a few tears and stared at Dash distrustfully. The man’s expression was open and honest, and he couldn’t detect any sign of aggression at all. Relaxing a bit, Yuri lowered his arms and wiped at his face again. He took Dash’s hands who gently pulled him up to his feet. Dash looked him up and down and observed the awful smeared makeup.

“Let’s get that makeup off,” Dash invited, “Was this your first time trying makeup?”

Yuri gave a hesitant nod.

“Sorry, but it really shows,” Dash commented, “You look like a hooker clown.”

Yuri flushed and ducked his head in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fix it,” Dash said, “Applying makeup properly takes practice.”

Dash ushered him back into the chair, and Yuri sat there feeling incredibly awkward as Dash began scrubbing the makeup off his face. Once Dash was done, Yuri was once again met with the site of his own face and he hated it. Without a word, he held up the mask towards Dash.

“Is there something wrong with it?”

Yuri shook his head and then glanced towards the makeup. Dash followed his gaze and then frowned in confusion.

“You want makeup to go with the mask?” he guessed.

Yuri bit his lower lip and then nodded, averting his eyes away.

“Easy enough,” Dash replied, “But let’s get all this hair out of the way.”

To Yuri’s complete surprise, Dash brushed his hair back and then pinned it so it would stay out of his face. Dash began patiently explaining what each of the creams and tubes were for and how to properly use them. He showed him how to match the makeup to his skin tone, and how to blend. Yuri listened intently, watching as Dash applied the makeup to his face. Dash was experienced and chose all the right shades for him. A bold blue eyeshadow with sparkles and black eyeliner was used and then a dark mascara. Yuri stared at his reflection and didn’t recognize himself. His face looked flawless like marble and there was a somewhat feminine beauty.

“There!” Dash announced, “Doesn’t that look better!”

Yuri nodded enthusiastically and reached for the mask.

“Not yet,” Dash scolded, “I’m doing something with that shaggy hair of yours.”

Yuri bit his lip uncertainly, and Dash gave him a nudge. 

“Don’t do that, you’re going to smudge your makeup.”

Yuri did as he was told and then watched as Dash began applying cream to his hair. Dash then combed his hair through several times and began styling it. When he was done, Yuri’s hair looked silky soft and perfectly framed his face. Dash then lifted up the mask and tied it around Yuri’s face with a black silk ribbon. 

“I hope you go with this look,” Dash commented, “I like this one a lot!”

Yuri glanced in the mirror and once again saw someone else looking back at him. The person was completely flawless and beautiful and there was only one name fitting for such a person. Grace was a delicate and talented performer, and she lived for the stage. She was eager to perform for the other students and prove her worth. Everyone would be looking at her and that’s the way she liked it. Her beauty needed to be seen and admired, and she felt confident in her abilities.

“Perfect,” Dash stated, “Class is about to start and so you should hurry before you’re late. Shadowsan doesn’t accept late notes, and so there’s nothing I can do for you there.”

Grace nodded and got up from her seat. Without a word, she gave Dash a hug and then quickly headed for the door. Dash stared after her and hoped everything would work out for her. Students could be cruel and Grace wasn’t exactly made of stone…

Grace ran through the halls, feeling happy and free for a change. Slowing down as she approached Shadowsan’s classroom, she saw the other students were waiting in the hall for the door to be unlocked. Shadowsan was normally early and so this was very unusual. 

When Grace approached the others, all conversations stopped and everyone stared at her in surprise. Graham’s mouth dropped open at the sight of her and he blatantly stared (as he should in her opinion) and he seemed speechless for once. Grace walked past him and she could feel his eyes on her the entire time. 

Graham stared at Grace and was shocked at how beautiful she was with that mask. His breath was honestly taken away and he stared at the makeup in surprise. More confused feelings began to twist in his gut, and he became awkward and nervous.

Just as he was trying to work up the courage to say something, Sheena spoke up.

“Ugh, look at that freak now!” she exclaimed, “He belongs in a loony bin, not in V.I.L.E!”

Jean Paul began to nod, but when he caught a look from Antonio, he remained silent and averted his gaze. Antonio’s gaze was on Grace and he was looking her over carefully. He observed the graceful way she was walking and the delicate and feminine makeup on her face. He stared for several moments before his eyes widened in realization. This persona was female! He then glanced over at Graham and saw the very obvious blush on the other boy's face as he stared at Grace. Antonio gave a knowing smirk at Graham now understanding everything perfectly.

“Oh come on!” Sheena protested, “No one is going to say anything about Princess Ginger over there?”

“Be nice, Sheena,” Black Sheep scolded, “If he wants to experiment with different personas, then it’s none of our business!”

“Don’t boss me around, shrimp!” Sheena snapped.

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d stop being a bully!”

Sheena narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Black Sheep. “I’m sick of your do-gooder attitude! This is a school for criminals, not the academy of losers! Get over yourself!”

Black Sheep narrowed her eyes in return and she crossed her arms and didn’t back off. “No Sheena, enough is enough! Once we graduate we all need to be able to keep a professional attitude with one another. I don’t know why you’re so insecure but-”

“**Insecure** ?!” Sheena snarled, lifting her arm to lash out “I’ll show **you** insecure you little-”

Sheena's hand was caught before it could make contact and she looked up into the disapproving face of Shadowsan. Sheena paled and instantly all fight left her.

“I-uh-I was just-”

“Everyone get into class,” Shadowsan ordered, releasing Sheena.

He shot Black Sheep a warning look and then turned away without further comment. Shadowsan’s gaze went to Grace who moved past him smoothly with a feminine gait. Shadowsan frowned at her, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of the new mask.

Shadowsan watched his students take their places and he headed for the front of the room to instruct part two of the exam. 

“You will be called up front one by one and you will try to avoid having this valuable gem stolen,” Shadowsan announced, holding the gem between his thumb and index finger. “This will be a test of subtlety and speed, not physical strength. You are not permitted to defend yourself or touch me in any way. The goal of this exam is to keep the gem away from me using slight of hand and evasion tactics.”

Sheena and Antonio didn’t look very happy over this, both used to relying on physical attacks.

Shadowsan slowly looked around the room at his students' reactions. He purposely didn’t tell them what the exam would be and he was going to gauge their raw talent for stealth.

“Would anyone like to volunteer to be the first one to go?”

Grace raised her hand without hesitation, wanting time to shine in front of everyone. Shadowsan stared at her in surprise, this being the first time she ever volunteered for anything. 

“Very well,” Shadowsan said, waving her forward, “You have to keep the gem away from me for one minute.”

Grace stepped onto the stage and Shadowsan tossed her the gem which she easily caught. He gave no warning that the exam had begun and lunged forward towards her. Grace spun away from him nimbly, not caught off guard in the least. Before Grace had ended up in the foster system she had taken five years of dance, and her movements were fluid and natural. She watched Shadowsan’s body language carefully and the slightest twitch of his muscles betrayed his movements and Grace was able to react before he even moved. It was like a fast and violent dance, and she stepped and swayed away from him, keeping perfect time as she evaded him time and time again.

Graham watched Grace as she gracefully jumped and twisted to avoid Shadowsan and her every movement was gentle and deliberate. It looked like a rehearsed dance and Graham felt his breath catch in his throat. A gentle smile was on Grace’s lips and her eyes seemed to shine from behind the mask. Graham had never seen her look so alive and he felt his heart give a flutter as he watched her on stage. As Graham stared at Grace’s sweet face, and her unexpected confidence, Graham no longer had any doubts; he had a crush on her.

Staring at her swaying and spinning made Graham feel like the room was too hot and to his horror he realized his body was reacting to it. Slamming his schoolbook onto his lap, Graham’s entire face turned flaming red and he glanced around at his classmates. Everyone’s attention was on Grace and luckily they hadn’t noticed his problem. 

Shadowsan seemed surprised at Grace’s unpredictable movements and he found himself stepping up his game the closer they got to the minute mark. He couldn’t get anywhere near her and this almost seemed like a completely different person he was fighting against. Shadowsan paid close attention to each of his students so he could teach them appropriately, but he hadn’t seen this technique before. With ten seconds left, Shadowsan used his full abilities and finally got a hit in.

Grace spun with the hit to lessen the impact but before she could sidestep away, Shadowsan matched her spin and plucked the gem from her fingers. The timer then buzzed. Grace had lost with only a second left on the clock and it left a bitter taste in her mouth and she frowned.

“Take your seat,” Shadowsan ordered.

Grace did as she was told and ignored Black Sheep who smiled at her.

“You did really well!” Black sheep complimented.

“Good job, mi amiga!” Antonio whispered, “That was amazing! You were so graceful!”

“Yeah!” Graham agreed enthusiastically, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Pffft, he lost so I don’t see what the big deal is,” Sheena scoffed, crossing her arms.

Grace didn’t react to any of them, simply disappointed she had failed the exam.

“Graham, you’re next,” Shadowsan ordered.

Graham froze and glanced down at the book still in his lap. “Er...can I have my turn a bit later?”

“No, now get up here now,” Shadowsan said impatiently.

Graham didn’t move. “...I can’t.”

“Stop wasting my time,” Shadowsan scolded, “It is your turn!”

“I can’t!” Graham protested desperately.

Shadowsan narrowed his eyes. “Graham, I will not tell you again!”

Graham turned even redder and still didn’t move. “Please Instructor Shadowsan, I **can’t**!”

Shadowsan slowly began to approach him. “And why not?” he demanded.

“I...er...I...have diarrhea,” Graham lied, “I’m just waiting for my stomach to settle down.”

Black Sheep snorted in amusement from beside him, and Shadowsan’s sharp gaze was on her in an instant. “I guess you’re the next volunteer, Black Sheep. Get up front now, and Graham, go get something for your stomach from the infirmary. Your exam will be tomorrow instead.”

Graham felt like he was going to sink through the floor and he slowly stood up still holding the book in place. He pretended he was bowing respectfully as he backed out of the room, but really he was worried about everyone seeing his ‘accident’. Once he was in the hall, he fled in the direction of the dorms, just wanting to hide for a while.

Everyone ended up failing Shadowsan’s exam but Black Sheep got extremely close as well. Once the last student had failed, Shadowsan informed them they would receive their marks for the written and physical exams after Christmas. The students all got the month off during December for personal study, and everyone was looking forward to the break.

Grace knew she would have another chance to shine in Coach Brunt’s class and when she entered, Brunt heaved a deep sigh at the sight of her.

“Now what are you supposed to be today, sweetpea?” she demanded, “Phantom of the Ordinary?”

Grace scoffed and crossed her arms.

“Oooo, you have an attitude today, fancypants!” Brunt exclaimed, “Let’s see if you can put that to good use during the exam.”

Grace was paired up with a girl from another dorm and they were to fight until Brunt told them to stop. She would be marking their techniques and making notes about how their styles could be improved.

The other girl kept saying nasty things to her in an attempt to psyche her out but Grace simply ignored her. The girl was from the dorm next to them and their dorms had a longstanding rivalry since the beginning of the year. Brunt blew her whistle and Grace twirled and kicked the other girl hard to the floor.

“Cheap shot!” the other girl yelled angrily.

Grace ignored her and stretched as she waited for her to get back to her feet. The girl lunged for her and Grace did a pirouette and slammed her elbow straight into the girl’s throat. The girl dropped to the floor gasping and choking and Brunt rushed over to check on her. After ensuring there was no serious damage, Brunt clapped Grace on the back. 

“You took down your opponent in two moves! Way to go, Sweetpea!”

“I-I’m not done!” the girl wheezed out as she got back to her feet.

Grace’s response to that was to do another delicate spin while she waited for the girl to make the first move.

“What’s wrong with you?!” the girl hissed out, “Fight properly!”

Grace bobbed and weaved along with a tune only she could hear and the girl ran for her. She swung her fist out over and over, but Grace was light on her feet and easily avoided the attacks. She continued dodging over and over and the girl got angrier and angrier.

“Stop it!” she ordered, “You’re making me look like an idiot! Fight me!”

Grace didn’t want to end her performance just yet and leapt out of the way of another attack. People were beginning to laugh, and the other girl’s face coloured in fury. She kicked and swung out viciously, but none of her attacks landed. Grace then kicked the back of her kneecap and she faceplanted into the floor hard. Before she had a chance to get up, Grace jumped on top of her and simply stood on top of her back.

“Get off!” the girl bellowed, “Get him off!”

Brunt began laughing at the spectacle and without a word she shooed Grace off the other girl.

“Okay, that’s enough for today. Go get some water and relax on the benches while the others finish up.”

Graham slunk into class halfway through and Brunt made him run ten laps around the gym before his exam could start. Luckily Graham was a decent fighter and he was able to hold his own against the other student. When class ended, he was in great spirits and headed for Grace.

“I heard you kicked your opponents arse!” he exclaimed.

Grace gave him a cool look and said nothing.

“He’s a cheat!” the other girl snarled, “I would have kicked his ass in a fair fight!”

Graham glanced over at her and then snorted. “Yeah, whatever, Shelly.”

Shelly clenched her fists. “I would have!” she insisted.

Graham rolled his eyes and then turned his attention back to Grace. “Do you want to walk with me to Countess Cleo’s class?”

Grace gave Graham a long and hard look. He’d been nothing but kind to her for the last few days and but she couldn’t forget the horrible bullying she’d endured at his hands. She shook her head no and Graham visibly deflated in disappointment. They seemed to have such a good day yesterday, but he knew he couldn’t force things.

“Okay, no problem,” Graham told her.

The bell rang and Grace hurried back to the dorm to feed the bird and then ran as fast as she could to make it to Cleo’s room before the bell rang again. The moment Cleo saw him, she gasped and then gushed about how much she loved the mask and the makeup job.

“Did **my** designer make this?!” she demanded.

Grace nodded.

“Oh how elegant! This is by far the best mask so far! I think you should stick with this one and be a proper gentleman.”

Grace frowned at her and was a little offended. She was a lady, and she didn’t appreciate being misgendered.

Cleo gushed about her mask for a good fifteen minutes while Grace stood there awkwardly with the rest of the class watching. When she was finally allowed to take her seat, Black Sheep and Graham offered her a smile and Grace found herself relaxing. The rest of the day passed by without incident although Maelstrom seemed very keen on getting her in for a private mental evaluation. She didn’t trust him in the least and pretended she didn’t hear his request. Maelstrom didn’t push it and dismissed class a little early.

It was now winter vacation and everyone was looking forward to relaxing on the beach for the holidays. 

Grace walked by herself towards the dorms as everyone else headed to the cafeteria, and she didn’t notice she was being followed. She was almost to the dorm when she was suddenly shoved hard from behind. She hit the floor awkwardly in a heap and then looked up to see all of Dorm 2 looming over her.

“We saw what you did to Shelly during Brunt’s exam, and you’re going to pay!” one of the boys snarled, “You humiliated her in front of everyone!”

Grace tried to scramble away but she was quickly seized by two other students and held still as the ringleader approached her. Pulling his fist back, he punched her hard in the stomach and Grace gasped in agony.

“Get him, John, get him!” one of the students crowed.

“I’m going to put you in the medical wing for the rest of the school year!” John vowed.

“Yeah, teach him a lesson!” Shelly yelled out.

John was just about to hit him a second time when Graham seemingly came out of nowhere and threw himself at John. He began pounding the other man as hard as he could, and then he lashed out at the boys holding Grace down. They released her and suddenly there were six people all fighting Graham. He was getting hit over and over and over but he fought like a wildcat trying to hold them at bay. Grace took a step forward to help but someone caught her by the wrist. Glancing over, she saw Neal standing there watching the fight.

“You want me to help him, love?”

Grace nodded without hesitation and so Neal jumped into the fray. The students were no match for an experienced operative and Neal tripped and hit everyone with ease. He ‘accidentally’ gave a kick to Graham as he was fighting and soon everyone was laying bloody on the floor. Neal grinned widely at Grace and then gave her a salute before he continued on his way down the hall like nothing had happened. 

Grace helped Graham to his feet and saw his face was a mass of blood and bruises. Giving him a concerned look, she took him by the hand and began pulling him in the direction of the showers. Graham’s eyes were quickly swelling shut and so he followed without protest, his entire body aching from the beating.

Once inside the shower room, Grace made Graham take a seat on the bench and then she began running the water in the sink to get it cold.

“Are you alright?” Graham asked, “Did those morons hurt you?”

Grace raised a brow. He was beaten to an absolute pulp and he was worried about her?! Wetting some paper towel, she began gently dabbing at the blood on Graham’s face who let out a hiss of pain. Grace wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this situation. Graham had taken a beating for her and didn’t even seem upset over it.

Maybe Graham really did mean what he said? Did he really want to be friends? 

“Ouch!” Graham complained as Grace pressed a little too hard on a cut.

Grace frowned thoughtfully and looked the other boy up and down. Maybe Graham wasn’t such a bad person after all?

“I’m sorry,” Graham suddenly said, “I tried to get there before they had a chance to hurt you. I should have been faster. I should have-”

Graham cut off when Grace suddenly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Graham’s mouth opened and closed in shock and he had no idea what to say.

When she pulled away, Graham flushed at how beautiful she was, and he felt a desperate longing for more than that kiss. He gently took her hand in his, and looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

“Please be my friend!” Graham begged, looking up at her, “I really like you and I want to get to know you better! Please forgive me!”

Graham stared down at their joined hands and Grace gave his hand a light squeeze and made no attempt to pull away.

Grace then smiled at him sweetly and she nodded. He was finally forgiven. Graham’s face was aching but he was glad he saw that smile before his eyes swelled shut. Finally things were headed in the right direction and he found himself returning the smile.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**   
**All gorgeous artwork is by the very talented Coulrosaurus! <3**


End file.
